Collage of Centers at UTRGV

Centers for Excellence

International Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum

The Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum program aims to build on the expertise of these institutions by supporting them in organizing workshops that are open to faculty from other institutions in the region. The overall goal of this program is to significantly accelerate the infusion of sustainability content into the curriculum.

SOUTH TEXAS INDUSTRIAL ASSESSMENT CENTER

South Texas Industrial Assessment Center

The STIAC will provide free industrial energy assessments, at no cost, to local small- and medium-sized enterprises. Through the provision of these industrial assessments, the STIAC has the potential of helping manufacturers save millions of dollars each year in energy, productivity, and water management costs. COEC students will conduct site visits, designed to add to their knowledge and skills in the field. The idea is to place the graduate students as point persons and have the undergraduates shadow them. They will observe and provide additional input for an assessment and energy audit of the building and will make recommendations on how to help save energy and control costs.

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN STEM EDUCATION

Center for Excellence in Stem education

The Center of Excellence in STEM Education builds a community of faculty who are leaders in Challenge-Based Instruction and student programs in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

CENTER FOR INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION

center for innovation and commercialization

The Center for Innovation and Commercialization will promote economic growth in a region that has been historically underdeveloped. This will be achieved by pursuing three key tasks: first, by assisting regional entrepreneurs in the ideation, development, and acceleration of new business ventures; second, by developing the next generation of RGV entrepreneurs by providing students with experiential learning opportunities in new venture creation; and lastly, by becoming the nexus of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. In so doing we will drive the creation of innovative, scalable enterprises.

E Commerce Basics Meeting at the small business development center

Small business development center (sbdc)

The UTRGV SBDC seeks to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity, and improved management skills for small businesses in the Rio Grande Valley through quality advisement and business training.

CENTER FOR ADVANCED RADIO ASTRONOMY

Center for Advanced radio astronomy

CARA is a leader in developing radio frequency-based techniques for space exploration as well as for creating innovative programs to attract and train the next generation of scientists and engineers. CARA currently runs three integrated research/education programs: the Arecibo Remote Command Center (ARCC), the Low-Frequency All-Sky Monitor (LoFASM), and STARGATE. In addition, CARA's director is a founding member and current chair of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav).

center for gravitational wave astronomy

Center for gravitational wave astronomy

UTRGV’s Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) has been directly involved with the first and subsequent detections of gravitational waves, contributing to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project - a massive, international physics experiment and observatory built to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop technologies for such observation. The LIGO project founders were awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ADVANCEMENT

center for sustainable agriculture and rural advancement

The purpose of the UTRGV Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement (SARA) is to improve agricultural sustainability and advance rural communities through multidisciplinary approaches that involve the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability, while engaging UTRGV faculty and students in research, education, and experiential learning.

UTRGV's coastal studies lab

coastal studies laboratory

The Coastal Studies Laboratory located on South Padre Island was established in 1973 and is dedicated to providing educational opportunities, enhancing research, engaging in public service, and providing community outreach related to coastal and marine concerns in the Gulf of Mexico with special emphasis on the South Texas region.

mosquito

center for vector-borne disease

The center’s official goals are threefold: Conduct research to foster a collaborative partnership between UTRGV faculty and agencies like the USDA, CDC, and state and local agencies; Provide educational opportunities for students with certificate courses, internships, or research opportunities, learn about vector-borne diseases and become interested in pursuing careers in related fields, such as medical entomology; and Provide community outreach by providing expertise to workshops and seminars about vector-borne diseases.

Industrial Assessment Center

Industrial Assessment Center

The UTRGV College of Engineering and Computer Science has been awarded a $1.25 million grant by the Department of Energy to house the Industrial Assessment Center, the only IAC in the UT System. The IAC will provide industrial energy assessments, at no cost, to local small- and medium-size enterprises. Through the provision of these industrial assessments, the IAC has the potential of helping manufacturers save millions of dollars each year in energy, productivity and water management costs.

Non-Profit Resource Center

We help BUILD organizational structures that foster performance and success through training, workshops and technical assistance. We help CONNECT organizations to develop collaborative alliances that leverage strengths and produce lasting regional benefits through networking, events and ongoing dialogue. We help PROMOTE partnerships where the community and the university join together to identify needs and share resources through engaged scholarship and learning courses, community-based research and volunteer connections.

picture of Dr. Cristina V. Torres Memorial Astronomical Observatory

dr. Cristina v. Torres memorial astronomical observatory

The new observatory, which was formerly located on the UTRGV Brownsville campus and named the Nompuewenu observatory, has been moved to Resaca de la Palma State Park and renamed the Dr. Cristina V. Torres Memorial Astronomical Observatory. Resaca de la Palma State Park is located at 1000 New Carmen Ave. in Brownsville. The observatory is 30 feet in diameter.

nanomaterial

Nanotechnology center of excellence

The vision of the Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Material Science is to create an integrated multidisciplinary environment (Science and Engineering) for research, education, and outreach at UTRGV. The Center will pool the available talent and expertise from various disciplines within the different Science and Engineering departments into a coherent materials science center and will focus on developing a predictive level of understanding on the development of polymeric and nanoparticle based material devices.

UTRGV's Stargate

stargate

The STARGATE facility will be a radio frequency technology park located adjacent to the SpaceX launch site command center. SpaceX will assemble and launch their signature advanced rockets and spacecraft, with launches every month at the Boca Chica Beach site. When not being used for launches, SpaceX facilities will be used by student and faculty researchers at STARGATE for training, scientific research, and technology development.

south Texas diabetes and obesity Institute

The South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute ( STDOI) complements UTRGV’s School of Medicine to advance medical research, develop better treatments and, ultimately, improve the health of residents in South Texas and beyond by targeting the prevalence of diabetes and obesity in the region.

university transportation center for railway safety

UTCRS operates as a consortium of three institutions, namely; UTRGV, Texas A&M University (TAMU), and The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The strategic research goals of the UTCRS aim to fundamentally improve railway safety outcomes by reducing fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs); Reducing failures by developing more durable materials and systems; Developing advanced technology for infrastructure monitoring, and Developing innovative safety assessments and decision-making tools.

event hosted by UTRGV's center for bilingual studies

center for bilingual studies

As part of UTRGV’s vision to be a highly engaged bilingual university, the Center for Bilingual Studies (CBS) is an interdisciplinary unit that brings together faculty from Colleges across the University to collaborate on research that supports bilingual families and communities. CBS also partners with local schools to discuss and create action plans that address critical issues of bilingual education and bilingualism as they impact children, schools, families, and communities of South Texas and beyond. CBS’s work supports UTRGV’s goal of becoming a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate university.

woman pointing at a computer screen

educational technology resource center

Welcome to the Educational Technology Resource Center (ETRC). The ETRC is the technology support center of the College of Education and P-16 Integration (CEP). The ETRC supports Digital Media and Learning (DMAL) and research activities of the CEP faculty and students by providing computers, iPads, and multimedia production.

bridge on top of a body of water

the lower rio grande valley sustainability network

The Sustainability Approach has three main components: economic, social, and environmental. In a sustainable approach, all three components are equally addressed. To be meaningful, successful sustainable approaches are developed by a diverse array of entities that together have the knowledge and skills to effectively address an issue. A democratic process of decision-making in the Network is essential to assure that all points of view are represented.

Procurement Technical Assistance Center's staff

procurement technical assistance center

PTAC provides technical services through trainings and one-on-one counseling to persons interested in obtaining contracts with local, state, and federal governmental entities. PTAC helps businesses obtain state and federal certifications and understand the contracting process.

scale up event looking at a white board explanation

scale up

ScaleUp Rio Grande Valley helps established business owners in the Rio Grande Valley grow their businesses through intensive, business training and advisement, information, and networking opportunities.

veterans business outreach center

To help create, retain, and develop Veteran-owned businesses across Texas by coupling Veterans with local, SBA-sponsored technical and managerial assistance.

group of people attend the Military and Veteran's Success Center

Military and Veterans Success Center

The center assists students in certifying education benefits, advocating for services, developing projects to unite the university with our local community, providing counseling services specifically for veterans, and promoting student involvement through the Student Veterans of America National Organization. We are proud to assist those who have served our country and are committed to helping military students and their military families start or continue their education. Our ultimate goal at UTRGV is to provide an academically challenging environment to help you succeed in the next phase of your professional life.

uteach

UTRGV UTeach is the secondary teacher preparation program for science and mathematics majors at UTRGV. The program has offices, classroom space, faculty and staff, and a student workroom/instructional resource room on both campuses. The purpose of the program is to prepare highly qualified science and mathematics teachers according to the UTeach model developed at The University of Texas at Austin. During its five-year period as a replication grant, UTRGV UTeach graduated 92 students and in its fifth year surpassed all UTeach programs in the nation with an active enrollment of 485 students.

ifseen program

The goal of the IFSEEN consortium is to create an educational program to address the NIFA areas (i.e. (a) Curricula Design and Materials Development, (e) Student Experiential Learning, and (f) Student Recruitment and Retention) through collaboration among four major HSIs in Texas and New Mexico.

asset map example from McKnight JL and Kretzmann, JP, Mapping Community Capacity, 1990

RGV Asset Mapping Initiative

The RGV Asset Mapping Initiative is a collaboration between UTRGV, the LRGV Economic Council, and local community members to provide a map of what resources exist and where they exist in the Rio Grande Valley. Do you ever ask yourself, “Don’t we have that expertise here in the Rio Grande Valley?” And if we do, where is it.