By News and Internal Communications

By Regina Perez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – MAY 25, 2023 –  The UTRGV Office for Sustainability (OFS) held a reception May 4 to recognize students from its Graduate Sustainability Fellowship program, which engages students in research for sustainable development.

In addition to their program of study, fellows are expected to connect their work to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the mentorship of a faculty advisor and coordinated by the UTRGV OFS.

Dr. Ala Qubbaj, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, opened the reception.

"Providing education is about sustainability," Qubbaj said. “In my view, the most important goal is number 17, which is partnerships for the UN’s goals.”

After remarks from UTRGV Chief Sustainability Officer Marianella Franklin, who expanded on the program's aim, fellows shared their research through a 10-minute video presentation.

All fellows recognized and their research contributions were:

• Heba Gaber – Life cycle cost analysis of integration Piezoelectric Harvesters into Roadways.
• Benjamin Huerta – UTRGV 2022 Green House Gas Emissions Inventory.
• Olachi Nwokeforo – Poverty and Social Justice: Analyzing Hunger And Food Insecurities in Impoverished Communities in Hidalgo County through a Social Justice Lens.
• Solomon Eshun – Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors on Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetes Patients.
• Farzana Yeasmin – Study of the lightweight the 3D printed alloy for reducing CO2 Emissions.
• Esther Oginni – The Effect of Food Safety Practices in the Rio Grande Valley.
• Hilda Obiri - Yeboah–Women In Governance: The Increasing Participation of Women in Public Policy.
• Esther Owusu – Green Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Gaber, a sustainability fellow and civil engineering graduate student, presented her research on alternative energy sources for mitigating dependency on fossil fuels and shared her thoughts on the significance of sustainability within research.

"It helps me academically by encouraging critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a broader understanding of complex environmental and social challenges,” she said. “Personally, it fosters a sense of responsibility, ethical awareness, and empowers individuals to make informed sustainable choices in their daily lives, contributing to a more sustainable future.”  

Fellow Benjamin Huerta, a mechanical engineering graduate student, reflected on his experiences in conducting a Green House Gas emissions inventory to survey the environmental impact of university operations.

"It was a really interesting experience because this was my first time ever thinking about the sustainability of the university,” he said. “Before starting the project, I didn't know anything about our carbon footprint and thought there was little we could do to reduce carbon emissions.

“But working on this project opened my eyes to the many ways we can all help in reducing our carbon footprint and becoming a more sustainable university,” he said. “This opens the door for research opportunities, as sustainable campuses are a rich research area."

LEADING BY DOING

Faculty advisors present at the reception included Dr. Luis Torres Hostos, dean of the School of Social Work and a sustainability faculty advisor.

"They are looking at very complex societal problems with multiple lenses,” he said. “For the faculty that are mentoring the students and learning with them, to get to know each other, work together and explore ways in which our research can intersect, and educational opportunities can emerge is extraordinary, everybody wins. It is a huge program and we have to continue."

Torres-Hostos mentored Olachi Nwokeforo, a sustainability fellow and social work graduate student from Nigeria, in her research on food insecurity.

Inspired by what she observed in Nigeria, her research widens the understanding of systematic poverty.

“I said to myself that I was going to find out if the problems that are prevalent in my country happen here as well. Then I realized that Hidalgo County is one of those places,” she said.

Suchitra Acharjee – an alumnus of the Graduate Sustainability Fellowship who dedicated her time on the program to researching child marriage as an obstacle to educating girls – reflected on how the program at UTRGV affected her path and helped her accomplish her goal of getting a Master of Public Administration degree.

"As a woman from a patriarchal society, I wanted to set out for my own identity and be independent,” she said. “For me, getting higher education abroad is one of the ways to fight against inequality and set examples for young girls in my community, to tell them there are no boundaries against equality when you speak for yourself. I wouldn’t have been here without the financial support received from the fellowship."

To learn more about the work of the UTRGV Sustainability Fellows, visit the OFS website.

GALLERY

UTRGV Sustainability Fellows recognized for research efforts

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