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UTSA and Alamo Colleges offer summer program to entice prospective engineers

UTSA and Alamo Colleges offer summer program to entice prospective engineers

TATE Summer Bridge Scholars at the San Antonio River Authority field trip in 2017.

(April 18, 2018) -- Students in the Transfer Academy for Tomorrow’s Engineers (TATE), a joint program between the Alamo Colleges and UTSA, will participate in a summer research internship that will allow them to try on careers in engineering.

The TATE program addresses the increasing national demand for qualifying engineers in the workforce by providing Alamo Colleges engineering majors with a seamless academic pathway to transfer to UTSA to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

The TATE Scholars Program, now in its seventh year, is an educational summer experience for transferring students who are interested in acquiring research and technical writing skills. The program a collaborative partnership between the UTSA Institute for P-20 Initiatives, UTSA College of Engineering, Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute and the Alamo Colleges.

During the first four weeks of the program, students will explore topics such as sustainability and green energy, learn how to gather information and organize a research paper and presentation. At the completion of the first four-week program, participating students will receive a scholarship stipend of $1,000. Additionally, students may get an exposure to the research process and creative inquiry through a four-week paid research internship in a UTSA laboratory or U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service laboratory.

“There is a great need to prepare next-generation researchers to leverage future opportunities in clean energy and sustainable systems,” said Krystel Castillo, GreenStar Endowed Associate Professor in Energy and director of the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute at UTSA. “Our goal is to close the gap between rigorous engineering competencies and soft skills; we aim to instill in our students the teamwork, communication and systems skills needed to transcend disciplinary boundaries in the energy and sustainability areas.”

TATE’s summer internship program is a partnership with the UnderGraduate Research, Education and Training (U-GREAT) program, a Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates project sponsored by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The collaborative partnership strives to increase the number of first-generation students pursuing a four-year degree by providing them with the opportunity to participate in intense summer experiential learning opportunities.

“The TATE program has worked to improve the transition of engineering students from the Alamo Colleges to UTSA through this unique summer bridging experience. We are committed to helping transferring engineering students get acclimated to campus and helping to prepare them for the next step in their academic journeys,” said Darrell C. Balderrama, director of Retention and TRiO Programs for the UTSA Institute for P-20 Initiatives. 

The Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute was founded by UTSA in 2010 to leverage UTSA’s diverse knowledge in energy and related areas, and to position San Antonio as a significant contributor to the 21st century global energy economy. The institute integrates scientific discovery, engineering innovation and policy deliberations with pragmatic implementation and a commitment to multicultural traditions to realize the promise of tomorrow’s America as a global energy leader.

The UTSA Institute for P-20 Initiatives enables pre-K through 20 students to develop and complete their educational goals through collaborative partnerships with K-12 and postsecondary institutions and other organizations in the San Antonio community. It targets individuals who might not otherwise have access to postsecondary educational opportunities.

TATE Scholars Program Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be admissible to enroll full-time at UTSA Fall 2018
  • Must major in Engineering
  • Must have 2.9 cumulative GPA
  • Must have successfully completed Physics I (2425)
  • Mandatory attendance and completion of summer program

Ingrid Wright


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