Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD in Region 1

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD hosted a STEM and Career Pathways Community Night, an event designed to foster career exploration within STEM fields and inform the community about the diverse resources available in the city of Pharr. This evening offered a unique platform for attendees to discover a broad spectrum of career opportunities in STEM, allowing experts to share their insights and passions and guide participants toward potential career paths they might not have previously explored. As STEM industries continue to evolve, staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies is crucial. This event served as a perfect occasion to educate the community about the cutting-edge advancements in STEM, showcasing how these fields play crucial roles in solving real-world problems and driving innovation.

The community night was made possible through the partnership of four campuses in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD: LBJ Middle School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA North Early College High School, and PSJA T. Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, along with the Rio Grande Valley Science Association (RGVSA), Texas A&M Nuclear Power Institute, and NPI’s Workforce Industry Training (WIT) program. The event received an overwhelmingly positive response, with nearly 800 participants, including students, parents, and community partners. Special partnerships with the Texas Education Agency, which brought their interactive Texas STEM Mobile Lab, and Texas Parks & Wildlife, which provided valuable insights into environmental science and wildlife management, added to the event's appeal. The community was inspired by the engaging presentations and hands-on activities, making it a memorable night of learning, networking, and a deeper understanding of the wealth of resources available in our area.

Dr. Gina Saenz, Dean of Instruction at LBJ Middle School and event coordinator, shared her thoughts on the event: "Our STEM and Career Pathways Community Night had a significant impact on raising awareness about STEM education and careers. By bringing together students, educators, and industry experts, we have sparked an interest in STEM fields and provided valuable insights into the possibilities that lie ahead. This event is a crucial step in cultivating a culture of innovation and enthusiasm for STEM in our community."

As a courtesy to our readers, the following information from an external stakeholder has been included.

NASA TechRise Student Challenge

NASA is calling on middle and high school students to join the fourth NASA TechRise Student Challenge, which invites student teams to submit ideas for science and technology experiments to fly on a commercial high-altitude balloon. Students in grades 6–12 attending a U.S. public, private, or charter school — including those in U.S. territories — are challenged to team up with their schoolmates to design an experiment under the guidance of an educator. Administered by Future Engineers, the challenge offers participants hands-on insight into the payload design and suborbital flight test process, with the goal of inspiring a deeper understanding of space exploration, Earth observation, coding, electronics, and the value of test data. The challenge opens at the beginning of August, and teams should submit their experiment ideas by the challenge deadline on November 1, 2024. 

A total of 60 winning teams will be selected to build their proposed experiment. Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment, a flight box to build it, and an assigned spot to test their experiment on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight. Winning teams will also receive technical support from Future Engineers advisors, who will help students learn the skills needed to turn their experiment ideas into reality. No experience is necessary to join the NASA TechRise Challenge! To learn more about this exciting opportunity and how to get involved as a student, educator, or judge, visit the NASA TechRise Student Challenge page.