Ferialab Biosafety Laboratory

Dr. Tina Thomas

Senior Lecturer

(956) 665-XXXX

Dr. Tina Thomas

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Dr. Tina Thomas
Senior Lecturer
Department of Chemistry
Phone: (956) 665-XXXX

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Dr. Tina Thomas, Senior Lecturer, joined the UTRGV/UTPA family in the Fall of 2013 in the Department of Chemistry. Even though she connected well with her students initially, after participating in COS & NSF– HSI Program, she took extra effort to better understand the culture in the valley and modify her pedagogical methods, which improved her teaching evaluations from above 90% to consistently above 95% even in large classes with over 200 students. She received “Excellence in Teaching”- College of Sciences in 2020, was selected to “Master Teacher Workshop” from VCOBE and is currently taking part in the Teaching Fellows program by NSF aiming to transform STEM learning among underserved minority students.

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Dr. Josef Sifuentes

Assistant Professor

(956) 665-2197

josef.sifuentes@utrgv.edu

Dr. Josef Sifuentes

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Dr. Josef Sifuentes
Assistant Professor
School of Mathematics & Statistical Sciences
EMAGC 3.614
Email: josef.sifuentes@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-2197

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Dr. Josef Sifuentes is an Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at UTRGV. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Visual Art, Mathematics and Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University in Houston, TX. He remained to earn his doctorate in applied mathematics where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. He continued his adventures in mathematics as a research scientist at the Courant Institute at New York University. He returned to Texas to join the faculty at Texas A&M. His beginning at UTRGV in its first year doubled as a family homecoming as his wife is from the Rio Grande Valley. In addition to his work in iterative methods in applied mathematics, he has worked to bring students at all levels into the fun of mathematics. He put his background in art to work in developing a summer camp combining math and art for Valley High School students. As co-director of the UTRGV LSAMP Summer Research Academy, he has overseen undergraduate research experiences in mathematics, science and engineering. He has directed more than 10 senior capstone projects and 5 masters students. He has served as the UTRGV Faculty Mentor for the Gulf States Region of the Math Alliance and accompanied many students to present their work at regional and national conferences. In an NSF sponsored collaboration with UT Dallas, he developed a series of YouTube lectures in Real Analysis that are freely available to all who wish to peak under the hood of calculus’ engine.

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Dr. Stephanie Alvarez

Associate Professor

(956) 665-3212

stephanie.alvarez@utrgv.edu

Dr. Stephanie Alvarez

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Dr. Stephanie Alvarez
Associate Professor
Mexican American Studies
Email: stephanie.alvarez@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-3212

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Stephanie Alvarez is an Associate Professor of Mexican American Studies and the Director of the Center for American Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching as the U.S. Professor of the Year, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education with the Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in Higher Ed award, and the University of Texas System Board of Regents with the Outstanding Teaching Award. 

 

As a professor she has been instrumental in the implementation of testimonio as a signature pedagogy in the program, creating services-learning courses for students to engage with the community which has resulted in oral histories, murals in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute in the City of San Juan, Texas and multiple collaborations with Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD including a Dia de los Muertos Altar Competition now in its 4th year. She collaborates in the organization of Mexican American Studies workshops for teachers and administrators. She also is a volunteer coach where she has coached over 20 youth teams. 

 

She is the first ever Director of Mexican American Studies and the Center for Mexican American Studies at UTRGV (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) legacy institution, the University of Texas Pan-American and has assisted over a dozen Latinx students in reaching their goal of gaining entrance to a PhD program. She is the author of multiple essays on the intersection of education, gender, language, identity, and culture. You can find her most rent co-authored essay in the Harvard Educational Review. Her work is motivated by her lived experiences as a Latina student, educator, and mother of three. 

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Samantha Colunga

Alumni

(956) 665-XXXX

Samantha Colunga

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Samantha Colunga
Alumni
Phone: (956) 665-XXXX

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