'Proud to be a Hawk': Engineering students win top honors in competition

April 19, 2022 | UHCL Staff

University of Houston-Clear Lake mechanical engineering and computer science students achieved recognition as well as the top awards at the Texas Academy of Science Annual Meeting, which took place in February on the UH-Clear Lake Campus.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ariful Bhuiyan, and Associate Professor of Software Engineering Soma Datta guided their students, who submitted posters and gave presentations.

The students are supported by the Pathways to STEM Careers grant program, which enables UHCL to develop and enhance support services to increase student success in among Hispanic students in STEM fields.

Mechanical engineering students Glenda Rubio, Salvador Talaver and Modesto Rojas swept the poster presentations for the Physics and Engineering section, taking first, second and third place awards.

"Hearing the names of UHCL students being called as winners made me feel proud of being a Hawk," said Rubio. "There was cheering and whistling, just like when the Astros score a home run. I got happier with every step I took toward the podium, representing my university and my team in front of the science community."

Jose Ortiz won third place in the Physics and Engineering category for his oral presentation. Eric Washington won second place for his oral presentation in the STEM Education category.

For more information about Pathways to STEM Careers scholarships, go online.