The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Engineering Technology program partnerships with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Penn State University, and the UTRGV writing center to develop a NSF grant proposal. The project looks to enhance the writing skills of engineering students.
Engineering Technology Senior Design II students, Andres Alaniz and Bertha Gutierrez, presenting their project: “Cloud-Based Smart Dual-Axis Tracker”. This project primary objective was the development of a dual-axis tracking system based on cloud data, utilizing the principles of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Engineering Technology Senior Design I students presented the following projects: “Micro Organism Catchment”, by Napoleon Arizmendi; "Development of an AI based machine diagnosis chattering control for Intelligent Machining", by Chris Saldivar and Xavier Castaneda; “Rapid Manufacturing of critical parts based on 3D scanning, AM and CMM”, by Jose Luis Villarreal; “Assessment of Structural Analysis’s & Integrity of Parts in Additive Manufacturing”, by Fidel Gamboa; “Collaborative Robot with Vision System and its interaction with human workers”, by David Lopez. The students will continue their research during Spring 2019.
Beyond Engineering Education Program Cross-border multidisciplinary talent: sharing science, technology development and innovation 
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas, United States / Instituto Tecnológico de Matamoros, Mexico The Engineering Technology program (ENGT) from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (COECS) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) has been selected to receive an Innovation Fund grant award for Competition #14: Promoting Study in Aeronautics, Agroindustry, Automotive Industry, Energy, and ICT, sponsored by Fundación Televisa in partnership with El Tecnológico Nacional de Mexico (TecNM). The proposal “ Beyond Engineering Education Program - Cross-border multidisciplinary talent: sharing science, technology development and innovation” will develop a collaborative project with Instituto Tecnológico de Matamoros (IT Matamoros), focused on agroindustry, automotive industry, energy, information and communication technologies. Hosted in the diverse metropolitan region of Rio Grande, the program emphasizes technology development and innovation, connecting students to internships in manufacturing in addition to project-based learning. The grant will allow bidirectional mobility for Mexican and U.S. students to work in partnership with a unifying goal of advancing their respective engineering industries.
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Official Press Release, available in the website Official Media Release: Winners Announcement
http://www.100kstrongamericas.org/televisa-winners-annoucement/
100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund Announces Grant Winning Institutions
Fundación Televisa Funds New U.S.-Mexico Higher Education Partnerships for Workforce Development
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: September 28, 2017: The U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators announced the latest 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grant winners sponsored by Fundación Televisa.
“I see resilience in the way U.S. and Mexican institutions of higher learning, businesses, NGOs, and governments overcome challenges in increasing student exchanges and mutual understanding between our two neighboring countries and our increasingly connected people,” said the Ambassador of the United States to Mexico Roberta Jacobson.
With Fundacion Televisa’s support, the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grant competition will facilitate eight new higher education partnerships designed exclusively for universities and community colleges in the United States and institutions in the Tecnológico Nacional de México (TecNM) network in Mexico. Innovation Fund grant-winning teams will create new student training opportunities in the fields of aeronautics, agroindustry, automotive industry, energy, and information / communications technology.
100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grants fuel strategic partnerships among higher education institutions in the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. The 20 new institutions announced today will provide groundbreaking exchange programs that will allow students to work in teams, gain technical skills, and become more competent for the global workforce. Innovation Fund grants are
$25,000 each, and grant-winning teams contribute additional resources to leverage and implement sustainable short-term student exchange to and from Mexico. To date since 2014, a total of 76 higher education institutions in Mexico and the United States have been awarded Innovation Fund grants that are supported by the public-private sector collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassies, Partners of the Americas, NAFSA, companies, and foundations.
The Innovation Fund provides grants to higher education institutions which strengthen institutional capacity for exchange programs, increase student mobility, provide more student training opportunities, and enhance regional education cooperation and collaboration throughout the Americas. Since January 2014, the Innovation Fund has awarded 126 grants to teams of 246 higher education institutions from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere region. A total of 38 U.S. states and 18 Mexican states have benefitted from Innovation Fund grant partnerships. More than 1700 higher education institutions form the the Innovation Fund’s hemisphere-wide network, including 1000 U.S. universities and community colleges. 100,000 Strong in the Americas — the leading higher education initiative in the Western Hemisphere — aims to increase the annual number of U.S. students studying in Latin America and the Caribbean to 100,000, and bring 100,000 students to the United States by 2020.
Building Strong Cross-Border Collaborations
Dr. Alexander Domijan, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (COECS), hosted a meeting with the Instituto Tecnologico de Matamoros delegation, to discuss future collaborations between the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Mexican Institution. Previous cross-border collaborations have been successfully implemented, internationally recognized, and both institutions are positive on the future expansion projects.