Tuesday, November 24, 2020
  Awards and Recognitions

By Letty Fernandez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – UTRGV is one of just 50 institutions from around the world to receive a 2020 Google exploreCSR grant, awarded to help grow interest in computing careers.

Dr. Beiyu Lin, assistant professor in the UTRGV Department of Computer Science
Dr. Beiyu Lin, assistant professor in the UTRGV Department of Computer Science (UTRGV Courtesy Photo)

Google awards funds to faculty to host workshops that encourage undergraduate students to pursue graduate studies and research careers in computing.

Dr. Beiyu Lin, assistant professor in the UTRGV Department of Computer Science, submitted the successful application and was awarded $18,000 for the project.

“At UTRGV, I hope to engage several student groups, including Hispanic students, low-income, first-generation and female students, in these workshops,” Lin said. “I am excited about it. I hope to share my experiences and inspire our students to earn a graduate degree in computing research.”

Lin’s workshops will be research-focused and help students to:

  • Learn all aspects of computing research from faculty from universities including Cornell, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Santa Clara, DePaul.
  • Grow the students’ confidence to pursue graduate studies by doing experiential projects and laboratory demonstrations together with the faculty during the workshop.
  • Develop their practical skills both in research and behavior by participating in mentor-mentee sessions with the faculty.
  • Achieve a sense of belonging by involving students in research and having them present their research at conferences. 

 

Thirty students pursuing computer science at UTRGV will be recruited for the workshops, which will take place in August 2021. Plans are to have an in-person workshop, but that could change depending on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google has given exploreCSR awards since 2018. For information and to see a list of the 2020 recipients, visit https://research.google/outreach/explore-csr/

COMPUTER SCIENCE AT UTRGV 

Computer Science studies computer systems, including hardware and software. The UTRGV Department of Computer Science is part of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, with courses available at both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. For more information, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/csci/.



ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.