{"id":402,"date":"2016-04-10T19:53:11","date_gmt":"2016-04-10T19:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=402"},"modified":"2016-04-12T19:57:20","modified_gmt":"2016-04-12T19:57:20","slug":"tstc-hosts-rgv-space-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=402","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Hosts RGV Space Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) –\u00a0The RGV Space Summit was recently hosted at Texas State Technical College to introduce the Harlingen Aerotropolis project and inform students of the educational opportunities the project will bring to skilled graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs.<\/p>\n

\"TSTC_RGVAerospaceSummit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a gold mine with Harlingen Aerotropolis,\u201d said Frank Espinoza, manager of community affairs for American Electric Power Texas, during his summit speech. \u201cEvents like this show that we, as a group, see full potential in this project and are ready to cater to the aerospace industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RGV<\/a><\/p>\n

Harlingen Aerotropolis is a 450-acre AEP quality site that was created to increase the number of project-ready industrial sites. The Aerotropolis will be home to four development districts: aeronautical, light industry, business complex and general retail, all centered around the Valley International Airport.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is going to transform our region,\u201d said Espinoza. \u201cBut a young, trainable workforce is critical to the aerotropolis\u2019 success.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marv Esterly, director of aviation for Valley International Airport, said the overall goal of the summit was to speak to students about the importance of pursuing STEM careers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the programs at TSTC, from welding to mechatronics and engineering, have a place in the aerospace industry,\u201d said Esterly. \u201cToday we need to show TSTC students what possibilities there are and how they can take advantage of these high-tech, high-paying jobs coming to our area soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

United Launch Alliance, NASA and Agile Aero led informational sessions for high school and TSTC students enrolled in STEM programs. Each session was 40 minutes long and highlighted each company\u2019s profile, introduced students to instruments and equipment they will be using in the field and explained the importance of STEM skills to the aerospace industry.<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday\u2019s event is opening a lot of opportunities for us,\u201d said Genesis Martinez, TSTC Aviation Maintenance Technology student. \u201cThis is really helping me decide what I want to do after TSTC. It\u2019s giving me more insight into companies and what to expect in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beyond the classroom, TSTC students in the Architectural Design and Engineering Graphic program are working closely with the Harlingen Aerotropolis project drawing, rendering and completing 3D images of the testing facilities and buildings\u00a0that will one day make up the aerotropolis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThese students have not disappointed. Every task we give them, they complete successfully,\u201d said Esterly. \u201cWe\u2019ll be able to use their 3D models to market to the companies we want to attract to Harlingen Aerotropolis. We\u2019re excited about our future and our close relationship with TSTC.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The students working on the aerotropolis project will be traveling to NASA to tour actual testing facilities to help with their designs for the Harlingen Aerotropolis.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur faculty and staff are the heartbeat of TSTC,\u201d said TSTC Provost Dr. Stella Garcia. \u201cOur students are prepared for the workforce because of projects like this and when they graduate they get high-paying jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information on any of the technology programs listed, please visit tstc.edu. Registration for Summer 2016 and Fall 2016 is now in progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) –\u00a0The RGV Space Summit was recently hosted at Texas State Technical College to introduce the Harlingen Aerotropolis project and inform students of the educational opportunities the project will bring to skilled graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs. \u201cWe have a gold mine with Harlingen Aerotropolis,\u201d said Frank Espinoza, manager of community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":405,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}