Dean Shares Summer Highlights
Monday, July 17, 2023
Dear UTEP College of Science Students, Colleagues and Alums,
Thank you for reading our latest newsletter! The College of Science does not slow down during the summer months, no matter how hot the weather! Our faculty are busy securing major grants and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students who are researching, networking at prestigious conferences, and broadening their minds during the Summer I and Summer II sessions.
In this newsletter we shared the major news of the United States Department of Agriculture-funded research led by David Huber in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences (DEERS). Dr. Huber’s research will help train farmers to monitor carbon levels in their soil among other climate-safe practices. We look forward to seeing the impact of this research to increase crop production and best practices to prevent further global warming.
We also shared news about SURE CHEM, a unique program in which the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty mentor students from Mexico and Puerto Rico. These future scientists are researching topics that impact the region, immersing themselves in general and technical languages, and will help deepen relations with institutions in our region. We know that this program will help these students learn by working in state-of-the-art labs and we hope they will eventually return as UTEP graduate students.
We’re also celebrating the success of our students and faculty who attended the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Consortium National Conference in Washington, D.C. I had the privilege of joining our team, who presented their amazing research to the country’s top experts in minority health disparities. Some of our outstanding students and faculty earned Blue Ribbon Awards, which shows that our cutting-edge research is making a large impact on the national research stage.
Lastly, we invite you to join us in reflecting on the life and impact of one of our dearest friends, Dr. Jack Bristol, who was a valued leader within the College and University. He started his career as an assistant professor of biological sciences in 1970, and eventually moved on to become a professor, dean of the College of Science and ultimately Vice President for Academic Affairs. After retiring, he remained Professor Emeritus and a staunch supporter and mentor to our students and faculty.
Jack was instrumental in the development of undergraduate and doctoral programs in our college and spearheaded the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Border Biomedical Research Center, a hub of cancer and health disparities research. Because of his many contributions, we hope you will support the Bristol/Mayberry Endowed Scholarship Fund, named for Dr. Bristol and his wife Lilian Mayberry, Ph.D., who also was a faculty member here at UTEP. This fund will benefit outstanding undergraduate students majoring in biology, microbiology, or environmental science.
We hope you've enjoyed reading about our busy and successful summer here at the College.
Thank you and Go Miners!
