NMSU students win awards, scholarships at the Great Minds in STEM conference

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 17 November 2023 17 November 2023

Nicholas Grijalva is one of more than 30 New Mexico State University students who participated in the Great Minds in Stem conference this fall. He was named a Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) scholar and will receive a scholarship. He was also recognized as the graduate CAHSI advocate for the Southwest Region. NMSU is a founding member of the organization, which serves to accelerate the achievements of Hispanics in computing.


 
“To me, being a CAHSI advocate is to promote growth and belonging to students in the field of computer science,” said Grijalva, who is graduating with a master’s degree in computer science next spring. “We promote student success by providing opportunities for students to engage with other students, build connections and learn important skills like building a professional portfolio and getting ready for graduate school/research. With this continued support, we hope to improve the diversity of the computer science field while equipping its students with valuable information, confidence and skills.”


 
“The GMiS conference is specifically a conference for underrepresented students in STEM,” said Raena Cota, program manager in the Computer Science Department and connector for the Southwest Region of CAHSI. “The conference is not only for computer science students but at least half of the students who attend the conference are computer science students, because of the longtime partnership between GMiS and CAHSI.”


 
Other NMSU computer science students who were recognized as CAHSI Scholars and Advocates included Sarah Diaz, who was recognized as a scholar and Marco Martinez, who was recognized as an undergraduate advocate. In 2022, NMSU had three computer science students selected as CAHSI Scholars: Avery Lee, Kayla Wilson and Renee Catanach.


 
Students showcased their talents in various competitions at the conference, with an award-winning performance in the Cybersecurity Hackathon. NMSU students earned first place in the novice category and second place in the advanced category. The winning novice team included computer science majors Benjamin Widner, and Cassandra Ganska, along with cyber security major Horacio Gonzalez.


 
Meanwhile, the advanced category saw another award-winning performance from the all-woman team of computer science undergraduate Breanna Widner with Kayla Wilson and Sarah Diaz, who are both computer science graduate students.
 


Nationwide, women represent approximately 20% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer science. For the GMiS conference, 37% of the NMSU computer science students supported to attend were women.


 
In the Data Analytics challenge, Jason Miller secured third place as Tuan Le, a computer science faculty member, lead the challenge.


 
Terra Martinez, an NMSU Fisheries and Wildlife major, took home the top prize in the poster competition. Martinez currently works as a field technician for NMSU and assists graduate students in data collection.


 
“As a fisheries and wildlife student, winning the poster competition was beneficial to me because my degree is sometimes overlooked as a STEM major,” Martinez said. “It was meaningful to connect with other individuals from areas of engineering and math that related to the research I am currently working on. I feel as though there are a large number of connections that I have made that could also lead to potential collaboration on research.”


 
As part of the conference, students are recognized as GMiS STEM Scholars and awarded scholarships from tech industry partners. Maria Morelia Enriquez Martinez, an NMSU mechanical and aerospace engineering student, was awarded a scholarship from Cummins, Inc., the only NMSU student selected for the honor in 2023.


 
At the end of the conference, students attended a career and graduate school fair. At this event, NMSU students were invited to interview for summer internships and jobs with more than 50 tech companies including Google, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Most computer science students leave the career fair with at least one offer or follow-up interview, with many students, especially those graduating soon, receiving multiple offers.


 
Of the students that attended, 17 were National Science Foundation, S-STEM scholars pursuing degrees in computing fields. Adan Delval, program manager, leads the S-STEM program at NMSU.


 
“We are committed to fostering a sense of inclusion, comradery and community for our students within the S-STEM scholarship program and computing disciplines,” Delval said. “My primary objective is to mentor and guide them to successful graduation with their computing degrees.  I am very dedicated to motivating S-STEM scholars to persist in their academic pursuits and to pursue their professional passions. So, for me it's about encouragement.”


 
Both Cota and Delval encourage underrepresented computer science students to be active in as many computer science programs as possible while at the university. Programs like CAHSI, S-STEM and the GMiS conference help to expand the students’ knowledge base and provide access to career growth opportunities. Connecting with others in the field and developing confidence in their abilities can help motivate students to complete their degrees and pursue jobs in high-demand computer science-related industries.
 


 
The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-students-win-awards--scholarships-at-the-great-minds-in-stem-conference/s/32b9887d-36be-461f-83ed-5223acdc625f

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.