By Victoria Brito

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – OCT. 2, 2018 – UTRGV’s Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) Week introduced a new interactive feature this year, the STEM+ME Expo, to more than 300 fifth-grade students from Brownsville ISD and San Benito CISD.

The HESTEC STEM+Me Expo provided students a chance to tour the UTRGV Brownsville Campus, participate in hands-on activities and demonstrations, and check out some interesting exhibits, all revolving around the “Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences” theme.

The STEM+ME Expo kicked off on Monday on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus, with middle school and high school students participating in campus tours and learning about the variety of careers available in the STEM fields.

About 6,000 Rio Grande Valley students are expected to participate in the expos this week.

The young participants were treated to a half-day of fun and learning on Tuesday, Oct. 2, with organizations like the Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas Wildlife Association, and the Brownsville Public Utilities Board showing them ways to protect the environment and animals and serve their communities. The day included five sessions that featured a variety of environmental science programs and interactive activities.

Madison Ortega, a fifth-grade student from the San Benito CISD’s Dr. Raul Garza Jr. STEAM Academy, said she had a blast participating in the activities that incorporated biology and other sciences.

“I really enjoyed the outdoor activities, because we played a game where I was able to learn about the predators and prey of the animal kingdom,” she said.

Ortega’s classmate, Azul Silva, enjoyed the same game.

“I liked it because I got to jump around while learning that bunnies are prey in the wild trying to escape from hawks,” Silva said. “I had a lot of fun today.”

Tina Quintanilla, Ortega and Silva’s teacher, said hands-on experiences are beneficial for her students and very much mirror what they are learning in the classroom.

“I like all the information they learned today,” Quintanilla said. “They learned about the process of cleaning water, which is important, and we talked about the animal population. All the kids really enjoyed the prey and predator game. They really learn by doing.”

The STEM+Me Expo for fourth- and fifth-grade students continues Friday, Oct. 5, in Edinburg.

HESTEC Week resumes Wednesday, Oct. 3, with Latina Day on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus and the Fall Career Expo on the Brownsville Campus.

GALLERY

More than 300 fifth graders have wild time at HESTEC

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