WELCOME

The College of Engineering and the College of Science hosted the First Research Sandpit on August 23rd to 25th, 2023, at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). The event united researchers from UTEP and Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH) in a collaborative attempt to develop solutions to sustainability challenges relevant to our region.

What are Sandpits:

Sandpits bring together people who would not normally interact to inspire creativity thinking to solve existing problems. Sandpits make a real impact on the scientific landscape; they stimulate new research and encourage exciting collaborations where participants continue to be influenced by its ethos of ambition and adventure. The sandpit mechanism is unique and has already shown a universally positive impact for those attending as it allows to establish independent and sustainable research communities; creates an observable culture change amongst participants who are embracing creativity and originality; and facilitates an increase in the capacity of multidisciplinary researchers and their interactions.

Objective:

The Sustainability Research Sandpit is a concerted effort between The University of Texas at El Paso and Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Mexico, powered by Microsoft, and focused on solving sustainability challenges in three different research tracks; water, clean energy, and soil & remote sensing, with the intention to spark international collaborations that could lead to scientific discoveries that would ultimately impact human life in the region and throughout the world.

This event seeks to bring together more than a hundred researchers from different disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, physical sciences, etc., in an exercise that will allow them to showcase their research portfolio and foster collaborations needed to solve challenges presented by experts in sustainability. Teams of researchers will work on proposals to develop solutions to those challenges that will include securing alternative sources of funding to ensure fruition of the project. These proposals will be evaluated by a panel composed of industry and research experts who will provides prizes for the top three winners in each research track.

Participating Schools and Colleges:

• College of Engineering (UTEP)
• College of Science (UTEP)
• School of Engineering (UACH)
• School of Chemistry (UACH)
• School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (UACH)
• School of Agrotechnological Sciences (UACH)
• School of Zootechnics and Ecology (UACH)