Meet Eleazar Saenz, a UTRGV Unsung Hero
Text by Amanda A. Taylor-Uchoa
Eleazar Saenz, biology laboratory coordinator and supervisor for the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences in the Department of Biology, Edinburg campus, says there is always a lengthy list of things to do, as no two days are ever the same in the labs.
Safety is of the utmost importance, he says, as students maneuver through the labs using equipment or accessing other resources. To help with that, Saenz says, he is always available to answer questions or provide help.
“It is also my role to have our students receive the highest quality laboratory experience by making sure they have all the educational resources that they need,” he said. “This includes teaming with professors to develop the best laboratory practices for our students and continually meeting and training our employees to always keep improving the quality of learning.”
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT UTRGV?
Primarily, I help ensure the safety of all our biology students and employees while they are in the labs. It is also my role to have our students receive the highest quality laboratory experience by making sure they have all the educational resources that they need. This includes teaming with professors to develop the best laboratory practices for our students and continually meeting and training our employees to always keep improving the quality of learning.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE?
Close to nine years.
DESCRIBE YOUR AVERAGE DAY
I start early by sending my laboratory assistants the important science information of the day so we can post on our Instagram page. I provide my input and they do their social media magic. If things are too oddly quiet around our office space in the morning, and my phone or emails are not going off, I go check on the early labs or follow up on what was left from the previous day.
Nine times out of ten, I am stopped by a student employee or professor who has a question about a particular lab, a piece of equipment, an administrative issue or anything related that needs attention. If our hallway meeting does not solve the issue, and if time permits, we end up wherever the problem exists and try to solve it. I might even end up meeting with them at a later time.
I often meet facilities personnel for a pending lab repair, a safety issue or question coming from one of our labs. Some days, I’ll meet with our teaching assistants to discuss our next lab, or I meet in someone’s office to prepare for an upcoming event. I help our lab assistants with cleaning a lab, preparing an upcoming lab experiment, restocking shelves, or taking inventory. I also order supplies, look over teaching assistant applications, and get the following semester’s lab schedules ready.
Throughout, I make myself available for the students, student employees, professors and staff who need my assistance. Some just stop by at times to say hello or to have a chat. Overall, there are always so many things to do, and no days are ever quite the same.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
It's the satisfaction I get from seeing our students reach their goals at UTRGV and beyond. It is my pleasure to be there to support and help guide them along the way. Every one of them has their very own unique dream they are trying to make a reality, and it is important for us to help make that happen. In many ways, it is the determination many students show that pushes me to do even more for them. They have big goals, and if the little I do helps them inch closer to those goals, then we all win. Graduations, hearing news that another one of our students got accepted into a PhD program or learning that a former student employee landed a career job – those are some of the big moments that highlight my job.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MEMORY, OR STORY, ABOUT YOUR TIME HERE?
I love getting to know a wide range of people. Everyone has a unique story, talents, and personality – it doesn’t matter what title they have or where they come from. Despite the hurdles that get in our way from time to time, for most of us, our longing to move forward does not end. All things considered; I believe every day can be regarded as a memorable moment. We have great people with wonderful things to share all around us.
TELL US SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU
I have dichromatic color blindness: protanopia and deuteranopia. I cannot see reds and greens like most people do. My color perception comes in shades of green and blue. The crazy thing about this is that I have had a love for art and painting since I was a kid, and I went on to study photography in Houston right after high school, not knowing I was colorblind! I landed a job with a notable industrial company and my job was to color match large painting projects. How I managed to do all this colorblind, I have no idea. But you don’t have to worry if I’m driving in front of or behind you – I passed my driver’s license exam and I know where the red, yellow, and green colors are on the traffic signal lights!
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UTRGV COMMUNITY?That goes back to when I first attended UTPA in 1997, the University of Texas Pan-American. As a student I joined several clubs that helped with community events, and later I was hired by the College of Science as a teaching assistant in the Biology Department. I helped students learn the basics of Biology in the labs and participated in many programs and events, HESTEC for example. Today, the relationship with UTRGV remains, I just serve a larger student population and work with more faculty and staff on both campuses. Still, my position offers me the opportunity to continue working with great people, meet new faces, and continue to serve the growing community.
