Author Archives: VBR

Project Nurtures ‘Next-Gen Farmers’

In Dec. 2022, Mission CISD Pearson Elementary students see the yellow straight neck squash seeds they planted become the first harvest of the school year. (photo Mission CISD)

School children from the Mission school district have become empowered agents of change against food insecurity. They are currently harvesting crops they grew with the support of a partnership between the City of Mission Rotary Club and three departments at UTRGV. During the 2021-2022 school year, 80 students grew lettuce, oranges, papayas and zucchini in gardens at 14 elementary schools and two high schools. Leading the initiative in the Mission…

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IMAS Hosts World Water Day Celebration

IMAS educator Jorge Cruz and IMAS guests interact in a water experiment during World Water Day. (Courtesy)

McAllen Public Utility and International Museum of Art & Science invite the community to celebrate World Water Day at the museum on March 19. The annual event is a collaborative effort between both organizations to honor World Water Day, which takes place internationally on March 22. Admission is free to the public courtesy of McAllen Public Utility. From 1-5 p.m., visitors will be able to make a hummingbird feeder, take…

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UTRGV Receives Grant For Railway Transportation Safety

Constantine Tarawneh and UTRGV students install a bearing in the bearing testing lab at the UTRGV Engineering Building in 2020. (photo David Pike, UTRGV)

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded UTRGV’s University Transportation Center for Railway Safety a $10 million grant to focus on promoting safety in railway transportation systems. Constantine Tarawneh – senior associate dean of the UTRGV College of Engineering and Computer Science, director of the UTCRS, and principal investigator of the grant – said the funding comes at a critical time for rail transportation, especially in light of recent railway…

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VIDA Receives Grant To Serve 250 Latinas

VIDA, The Meadows Foundation

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement is the recent recipient of The Meadows Foundation grant to continue enhancing employment opportunities and promoting  workforce development among Latinas in the RGV. This grant project provides VIDA the opportunity to lead a continuation of the successful outcomes and deliverables the program has been serving. VIDA will provide an additional 250 Latinas with student support services to pursue degrees and credentials in high demand…

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Rotary Club Hosts McAllen ISD Candidate Forum

School Board Candidate Forum

The McAllen Rotary Club will hosts a School Board Candidate Forum for the McAllen Independent School District Place 5 candidates on March 15. From noon to 1:30 p.m., the forum will provide an opportunity for the community to hear from the candidates who are vying for the Place 5 seat on the McAllen ISD School Board. The two candidates participating in the forum at the Salvation Army Banquet Hall are…

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BIH Project Begins With Placement Area Improvements

Port of Brownsville BIH Project

The first step in Phase 2 of the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project is underway as the Port of Brownsville’s dredged material placement area improvement project began in early February. The BIH Channel Improvement project will deepen the 17-mile-long Brownsville ship channel from 42 to 52 feet. in February, the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to award a $13.6-million contract for the channel improvements to RLB…

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Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship Accepting Applications

Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship

The Pharr EDC Foundation is now accepting applications from 2022-2023 graduating Pharr students for the Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship. The $2,000 scholarships are offered in partnership with the Pharr Economic Development Corporation and the City of Pharr. “The Pharr EDC Foundation is proud to open the 2022-2023 Scholarship to our community for this academic year,” said Victor Perez, president of the Pharr EDC Foundation and Executive Director of the Pharr…

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STC International Partnerships Expand

STC International Concurrent Enrollment agreement with Instituto Piaget Reynosa.

South Texas College continues expanding its international partnerships with two more International Concurrent Enrollment agreements between schools in Matamoros and Reynosa. In recent signing events, St. George Prep School and Instituto Piaget Reynosa are giving their students the chance to pursue a college education while simultaneously finishing their high school diplomas. These U.S./Mexico partnerships are critical to the economic development of the region. STC officials feel it could be the…

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Geekdom, eBridge Center Launch Local Startup Bootcamp

eBridge

The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization will host a Startup Bootcamp in partnership with Geekdom March 31 to April 2. The free, three-day program will help new early-stage entrepreneurs obtain the proper foundation they need for launching their new businesses. The program provides an opportunity to build a minimum viable product and receive mentoring from local industry experts. Participants will also receive opportunities to network with other founders. At…

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UTRGV School of Medicine Award To Expand Cancer Research

Wayne Roberts, CEO of Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, and Dr. Michael B. Hocker, dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine. (photo Paul Chouy, UTRGV)

UTRGV and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas recently gathered in McAllen with community leaders and key legislators to celebrate a five-year, $6-million award from CPRIT to the university’s South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research. The ST-CECR grant is the first of its kind and amount for the academic medical institution and the border community, and is part of CPRIT’s Texas Regional Excellence and Cancer Award…

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