By Maria Elena Hernandez

 PHOTO GALLERY

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS –  UTRGV has had an outstanding 2018, highlighted by exciting accomplishments, new programs and distinguished awards. 

• Among the top accomplishments are the UTRGV Chess Team’s state and national victories: The state win moved them into the Final Four of College Chess, from which they emerged as National Chess Champions.
• In the spring, the UTRGV School of Medicine opened its first student-run clinic in Peñitas, provides free medical care to some of the most medically underserved communities in the Rio Grande Valley.
• The UTRGV Robotics team ranked first among all Texas university teams during the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Region Five Robotics Competition in Austin.
• And at the beginning of the summer, a new program for obtaining a PhD in clinical psychology was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
• Also in 2018, The UTRGV School of Medicine welcomed the incoming Class of 2022.
• UTRGV was ranked the fourth best college in Texas by BestColleges.com and was awarded the Best Practices/Institutional Impact Award by the National Behavior Intervention Team Association, to encourage students to look out for their peers. 

The hard work and determination of UTRGV’s students, staff and faculty continue to garner success and growth as we head into 2019. Following are links to some of the important, crow-worthy, or just plain fun UTRGV stories of 2018. 

JANUARY

UTRGV chess team's expert moves lead to Final Four

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/01/05-utrgv-chess-teams-expert-moves-lead-to-final-four.htm

South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute awarded $2.36M NIH grant: UTRGV researcher will study link between lipids and cardiovascular disease

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/01/31-south-texas-diabetes-and-obesity-institute-awarded-2_36m-nih-grant.htm

UTRGV weathers icy blast, freezing temperatures

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/01/17-utrgv-weathers-icy-blast-freezing-temperatures.htm

 

FEBRUARY

Mr. Amigo Pedro Fernandez wows Charreada audience with warmth, charm

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/02/22-mr-amigo-pedro-fernandez-wows-charreada-audience-with-warmth-charm.htm

Three UTRGV School of Medicine leaders to join UT System’s Shine Academy of Health Science Education

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/02/06-three-utrgv-school-of-medicine-leaders-to-join-ut-system-s-shine-academy-of-health-science-education.htm

Two UTRGV professors take a tour around the map to explain the history of chocolate

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/02/12-utrgv-professors-before-coffee-and-tea-there-was-chocolate.htm

 

MARCH

FESTIBA: Big Read keynote Alejandro Zambra discusses culturally charged literature

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/03/01-big-read-keynote-alejandro-zambra-discusses-culturally-charged-literature.htm

UTRGV Strikes Gold: University earns high honors on national sustainability assessment

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/03/01-utrgv-strikes-gold.htm

UTRGV announces three new key leadership positions

https://www.utrgv.edu/president/about/messages/messages2018/february-28-2018/index.htm

 

APRIL

NEW NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!: The UTRGV Chess Team defeats five-time champs Webster in 2018 President’s Cup

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/04/01-new-national-champions.htm

UTRGV Robotics team ranked first in Texas at annual Region 5 IEEE competition: Places fourth among high-profile Region Five universities

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/04/12-utrgv-robotics-team-ranked-first-in-texas-at-annual-region-5-ieee-competition.htm

Shining Bright: H-E-B UTRGV Planetarium celebrates 55 years of educational star-gazing

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/04/27-shining-bright-h-e-b-utrgv-planetarium-celebrates-55-years-of-educational-star-gazing.htm

UTRGV earns fourth designation as a Tree Campus USA by Arbor Day Foundation

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/04/20-utrgv-earns-fourth-designation-as-a-tree-campus-usa-by-arbor-day-foundation.htm

 

MAY

UTRGV Physics Department remembers, honors Dr. Cristina Torres

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/05/04-utrgv-physics-department-remembers-honors-dr-cristina-torres.htm

STDOI receives $3.6 million from NIH for fatty liver research

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/05/14-stdoi-receives-36-million-from-nih-for-fatty-liver-research.htm

Sixteen UTRGV students awarded Gilman Scholarships for study abroad

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/05/22-sixteen-utrgv-students-awarded-gilman-scholarships-for-study-abroad.htm

 

JUNE

U.S. Chess Federation names UTRGV ‘Chess College of the Year’ for 2018

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/06/08-us-chess-federation-names-utrgv-chess-college-of-the-year-for-2018.htm

UTRGV UREC listed in Top 50 Best Campus Recreation Centers by College Consensus https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/06/11-utrgv-urec-listed-in-top-50-best-campus-recreation-centers-by-college-consensus.htm

Rabbi Kogan named director, UTRGV School of Medicine Institute for Bioethics and Social Justice

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/06/26-rabbi-kogan-named-director-utrgv-school-of-medicine-institute-for-bioethics-and-social-justice.htm

 

JULY

UTRGV program ranked third in nation for its online EdD in Curriculum and Instruction with focus on Educational Technology

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/07/09-utrgv-program-ranked-third-in-nation-for-its-online-edd-in-curriculum-and-instruction.htm

National Science Foundation awards grant to UTRGV’s Department of Computer Science

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/07/11-national-science-foundation-awards-grant-to-utrgvs-department-of-computer-science.htm

UTRGV gains new interdisciplinary major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/07/18-utrgv-gains-new-interdisciplinary-major-in-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-systems.htm

 

AUGUST

UTRGV School of Medicine and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health to offer dual degree programs

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/08/03-utrgv-school-of-medicine-and-uthealth-houston-school-of-public-health-to-offer-dual-degree-programs.htm

New UTRGV online degree program in Addiction Studies launches this fall 

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/08/06-new-utrgv-online-degree-program-in-addiction-studies-launches-this-fall.htm

UTRGV now certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/08/24-utrgv-now-certified-as-a-bee-campus-usa-affiliate.htm

Online college guide ranks UTRGV seventh among U.S. southern colleges in ‘Best Bang for the Buck’ category

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/08/27-online-college-guide-ranks-utrgv-seventh-among-us-southern-colleges-in-best-bang-for-the-buck-category.htm

 

SEPTEMBER

UTRGV student musician places first in competition at Texas Music Festival

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/09/04-utrgv-student-musician-places-first-in-competition-at-texas-music-festival.htm

UTRGV alumna lands engineering job at the ‘Most Magical Place on Earth’

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/09/18-utrgv-alumna-lands-engineering-job-at-the-most-magical-place-on-earth.htm

UTRGV mechanical engineering Professor Karen Lozano named one of the 2018 ‘Mexicanos Distinguidos’

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/09/27-utrgv-mechanical-engineering-professor-named-one-of-the-2018-mexicanos-distinguidos.htm

UTRGV legacy alum’s film career led him to ‘Westworld’

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/09/28-utrgv-legacy-alums-film-career-led-him-to-westworld.htm

 

OCTOBER

‘Go after your dream’: Kate the Chemist headlines HESTEC 2018 Latina Day at UTRGV

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/10/03-go-after-your-dream.htm

UTRGV notes growth in its number of dual enrollment high school students https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/10/30-utrgv-notes-growth-in-its-number-of-dual-enrollment-high-school-students.htm

UTRGV School of Medicine Research Symposium addresses disparities in healthcare

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/10/04-utrgv-school-of-medicine-research-symposium-addresses-disparities-in-healthcare.htm

UTRGV’s Animal Therapy Club helps provide fuzzy stress relief for students

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/10/12-utrgvs-animal-therapy-club-helps-provide-fuzzy-stress-relief-for-students.htm

 

NOVEMBER

Veterans join forces with UTRGV Theatre Department

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/11/09-veterans-join-forces-with-utrgv-theatre-department.htm

UTRGV junior elected Texas Civic Ambassador for 2018-2019

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/11/21-utrgv-junior-elected-texas-civic-ambassador-for-2018-2019.htm

Vaqueros Men’s Soccer Club earns bid to national tournament

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/11/29-vaqueros-mens-soccer-club-earns-bid-to-national-tournament.htm

 

DECEMBER

UTRGV Chief of Police named Chief of the Year by UT System

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/12/07-utrgv-chief-of-police-named-chief-of-the-year-by-ut-system.htm

UTRGV student Brandon Ramirez’s journey proves education transcends borders

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/12/10-utrgv-student-brandon-ramirezs-journey-proves-education-transcends-borders.htm

Santa’s Logistical Nightmare: How does the jolly old fellow REALLY move all that product so quickly?

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2018/12/21-santas-logistical-nightmare.htm