Rep. Cuellar Announces $799,853 in Federal Grant Funding for TAMIU
LAREDO, TX – In ceremonies Monday, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) announced $799,853 in federal grant funding for Texas A&M International University (TAMIU).
The funding consists of three separate awards for the establishment of a center for physics-based A.I. application training, enhancement of statistics curricula for A.I. development, and STEM recruitment. Together, these federal dollars will help TAMIU students apply their knowledge to real-world projects, especially in the dynamic field of A.I.
The federal grants, awarded by the National Science Foundation, are as follows:
- Building Academic Success Early for STEM: $199,998
- Enhancing Engineering Statistics Experiential Learning for A.I. Careers: $200,000
- ExpandAI Capacity Building Project: $399,855
Congressman Cuellar said these grants set the stage for TAMIU students to enter the 21st Century workforce.
“Congratulations to TAMIU for being competitively selected for nearly $800,000 in federal education grants,” said Dr. Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, “These transformative grants will help ensure TAMIU students are ready to apply their knowledge to real world projects, especially in AI. The jobs of tomorrow are being created right here in South Texas. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting for more educational resources so our students can get a quality education at home and be prepared to enter the 21st Century workforce. Thank you to Dr. Pablo Arenaz, President of TAMIU, for working with me to deliver for our students.”
Dr. Pablo Arenaz, TAMIU president, said the University appreciates Cong. Cuellar’s partnership in helping make the NSF grants possible, and the important opportunities they provide TAMIU students.
“Congressman Cuellar has been critical to helping secure these impressive NSF grants and we appreciate that he shares our future-centric vision. All universities are deeply invested in making sure that their programs are relevant to the world we live in. Today, that world is embracing a future where Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) can help us enhance our capabilities and realize a brighter future. It is critical that TAMIU take a leading role in empowering students to research and develop A.I. applications and tools, and be part of that promising future,” Dr. Arenaz said.
About the Grants:
The Building Academic Success Early for STEM (BASE) Track 1 Pilot Project (HSI Program) will study TAMIU first- time freshman and transfer students who are not college-ready via a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning that will provide needed interventions to increase early STEM-infused and college readiness interventions. Principal Investigator: Dr. Maria de Lourdes Viloria. Co-PI’s Dr. Ruvini Pathirana, Dr. Saqib Hussain, and Dr. Norma Saikali.
The Enhancing Engineering Statistics Experiential Learning for A.I. Careers, with support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions, this Track 1 project aims to prepare TAMIU students better to develop artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms. Principal Investigator: Dr. Deepak Ganta. Co-PI’s Dr. Khaled Enab and Dr. Hongwei Wang.
The ExpandAI Capacity Building Project aims to build a robust A.I. research infrastructure and curriculum at TAMIU, with a special emphasis on supporting underrepresented researchers. The initiative will focus on integrating A.I. into the engineering curriculum and introducing the new A.I.-Plus Certificate. By enhancing A.I. education and strengthening A.I. infrastructure, this project seeks to augment A.I. research within the underrepresented student community and position TAMIU as a pivotal hub for A.I. research in the Southwest Texas region. Principal Investigator Dr. Khaled Enab, Co-PI’s Dr. Kenneth Tobin, Dr. Deepak Ganta, and Dr. Mustafa Al Lail.
Summer and Fall 2024 Registration at TAMIU is now underway. View the registration schedule here: https://www.tamiu.edu/registrar/registration
To learn more about the University’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
Summer Semester II begins Monday, July 8, 2024. The first day of classes for the Fall 2024 semester is Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.
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