Rural STEM News

Skip to main content

STEM News

UTSA researcher hones spacecraft designs at national lab

JULY 28, 2025 — Testing the aerodynamics of rockets in a Mach 7 wind tunnel that emulates the extreme speed of a spacecraft’s descent back to Earth is a highly anticipated assignment among students working in the UTSA Hypersonics Lab.

Creating A High School To MRO Industry Career Pathway

As the executive director of Mentoring Mission and Project AMPLiFI, Carol Valentino-Barry is working with high school students across the U.S. to prepare them for careers in the MRO industry.

Mythbusting Early Childhood Education: How the Earliest Interactions Predict the Future and What’s at Stake Today

Presented by Dr. Dan Wuori, Author of The Daycare Myth, and Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions; Anna E. Williamson, M.A., Ed., and H.D., Chief Program Officer, Agenda for Children; Dr. Bridget Hamre, Co-Founder and Board Chair, Teachstone; and Dr. Veronica Fernandez, Vice Pre…

How to Start Building Math Confidence in Preschool

Teachers can get kids comfortable with math concepts by using numeracy-focused vocabulary in everyday classroom activities.

Starting early is key to tackling teen boredom in math

Recommendations in a new RAND Corp. report include looking beyond curriculum to incorporate more real-world applications in lessons.

Preschool students relish the outdoor learning environment at San Antonio’s Zoo School

Less than a mile from the San Antonio Zoo stands a children’s learning oasis where “nature becomes the teacher.” The Will Smith Zoo School is a private preschool for children ages 3-5 that was established by the San Antonio Zoo in 2004 to build on the menagerie’s two pillars: conservation and educa…

Dr. Natasha Wilkerson appointed Executive Program Director of First in Texas

Outstanding leadership is crucial for the success of FIRST® in Texas. This community belongs to all of us, and we, the members of the selection committees, feel the weight of the importance of the selection.

Dee Howard Foundation Honorees announced for the 2025 San Antonio Aviation & Aerospace Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon

The Dee Howard Foundation has officially released the details, including Honorees, for the 2025 San Antonio Aviation & Aerospace Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon see:

NREA Appoints Dr. Melissa Sadorf as New Executive Director

Tucson, AZ – The National Rural Education Association (NREA) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Melissa Sadorf as its next Executive Director, effective June 1, 2025.

Dedication ceremony at SETA Magnet School

Dee Howard’s daughter, Dee Ann Bridges and Chair of the Dee Howard International Education Foundation, Wayne Fagan, attended the official opening ceremony of Dee Howard Way to celebrate with the students.

23 February 2025

DHEDF honored to welcome Dr. Melissa Sadorf to Board of Directors

Dr. Melissa Sadorf is the Executive Director of the Arizona Rural Schools Association (ARSA). She recently retired from the superintendency of the Stanfield Elementary School District, a rural district in Arizona, where she also served as the business manager, federal grant programs director, and H…

05 February 2025

UTSA announces new research center to advance space technology and operations

UTSA’s Office of Research today announced the launch of the Center for Space Technology and Operations Research (CSTOR), a new research center dedicated to advancing engineering, technology and operations that will support space missions between the Earth and the Moon, an area referred to as cislun…

24 December 2024

A UTSA aerospace expert weighs in on recent drone sightings that have caused alarm

The FBI has received reports of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings, and the government has done little to shed light on what is happening in the skies. TPR's Jerry Clayton recently spoke with aerospace expert Chris Combs, Dee Howard Endowed Associate Professor in Aerodynamics in the Departmen…

18 December 2024

Rural Areas Offer Unique Opportunities for STEM Education, But Targeted Resources, Connectivity, and Training Needed

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers a road map for increasing access to science, technology, engineering, and math education opportunities and workforce development for students in rural communities.

23 November 2024

Spark! PK-12 Engineering Education Outreach

Designed to inspire STEM literacy, Spark! offers engineering education programming to PK-12 students and families and professional development opportunities to educators in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. This program allows students to develop skills crucial to engineering fi…

23 November 2024

Texas A & M University College of Medicine – Rural Medicine Program

In 2019, Texas A&M College of Medicine embarked on an initiative to focus on rural medicine disparities given our history as a Land Grant University and our Medical School Charter for Rural Medicine. The College of Medicine's goal is to bring health care where it's needed most with a keen fo…

23 November 2024

Texas A&M’s Southwest Rural Health Research Center Secures $2.8 Million To Improve Health In Rural America

The Southwest Rural Health Research Center at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health has been awarded a four-year, $2.8 million cooperative agreement by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The funding will support research that wil…

21 November 2024

Undergraduates with family income below $200,000 can attend MIT tuition-free starting in 2025

Undergraduates with family income below $200,000 can expect to attend MIT tuition-free starting next fall, thanks to newly expanded financial aid. Eighty percent of American households meet this income threshold. And for the 50 percent of American families with income below $100,000, parents can e…

10 October 2024

NASA, NAACP Partner to Advance Diversity, Inclusion in STEM Fields

During an event Thursday, NASA and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) signed a Space Act Agreement to increase engagement and equity for underrepresented students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and to improve access to ag…

05 October 2024

UTSA to lead multimillion-dollar project to advance interplanetary space exploration

OCTOBER 2, 2024 — UTSA was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) to lead a multimillion-dollar project that will stimulate nuclear energy research at UTSA, leverage novel experimental data to bolster computational efforts at the university, and provide prof…

03 October 2024

Regents Approve Texas A&M Space Institute

The $200 million facility will be built at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to help ensure Texas remains a leader in space exploration.

27 September 2024

She was one of the only Black women in her engineering program. Now, this MIT grad is using dance to introduce a new generation to STEM

“It’s always been a source of community, perseverance, and learning how to be determined.” CNN Hero Yamilée Toussaint

27 September 2024

AIAA Announces its Class of 2025 Associate Fellows

Christopher S. Combs, Ph.D., Dee Howard Memorial Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering at UTSA Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design has been named a Class of 2025 Associate Fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

UT System Board of Regents announces plans to integrate UTSA and UT Health San Antonio into a premier global university to best serve Texas and the nation

AUSTIN, TX (August 22, 2024) – Today, University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife and the board authorized Chancellor James B. Milliken and the UT System to work with UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy and UT Health San Antonio (UTHSA) Acting President Rob Hromas to int…

UTSA students are building space careers with research fellowships from NASA

AUGUST 9, 2024 — NASA has awarded Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) fellowships to UTSA students Austin Patridge and Nicholas Stegmeier. The grants will enable the UTSA graduate students to conduct research that advances NASA’s technology in future space exploration.

Tom McNish, MD, COL (ret) USAF, an American hero

Tom McNish, MD, COL (ret) USAF, passed away at home Friday, July 19, 2024, surrounded by his loving family, after a brief and complicated illness. He was born in Madison, Tennessee, in 1942 to Mary Elenora and Edgar McNish and was a 1964 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

New flight academy at UTSA showcases aviation careers

JULY 16, 2024 — UTSA is hosting a dozen students who are enrolled in a free Air Force-sponsored program that inspires young people to explore careers in aviation. The AIM High Flight Academy offers students a chance to receive personalized training from the U.S. Air Force and certified flight instr…

DHEDF Announces Gift from the Dee Howard Memorabilia Collection to Texas A&M University San Antonio Archives & Special Collections

Durrell U. “Dee” Howard (26 May 1920 – 12 February 2009) was a respected inventor and legendary in the aviation industry for his many creative accomplishments. Dee had over forty US and foreign patents issued in his name for both aviation and automotive products and the aviation companies which he…

The Aerospace Corporation assisted Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) with a book

The Aerospace Corporation sponsored the development and launch of a new digital book with the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) called Women in Space. This free resource has stories from women leaders from the past, present, and future all with a career around Space. We hope this will bri…

Eric Brey named dean of the UTSA Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design

MAY 3, 2024 — UTSA Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley today announced the selection of Eric Brey as dean of the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (Klesse College) and David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair.

Membership in elite research organization highlights UTSA’s capabilities in space sciences

MAY 3, 2024 — UTSA recently broadened the sphere of collaborators in its space research enterprise by joining the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The association facilitates cooperation between federal government, foreign governments, higher-education institutions and other organiza…

UTSA joins consortium to create sustainable aviation hub in San Antonio

APRIL 3, 2024 — UTSA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), the City of San Antonio, and CPS Energy to develop and promote energy technologies that could potentially decarbonize the aviation sector.

Space Workforce 2030 Names New Executive Director in Landmark Partnership

Ready for liftoff: Southwest HS students witness the plane they built soar into the sky

A student mariachi band broke into song and cheerleaders shook pompoms on a crisp Monday morning as the single propeller on Dragon 1, a small airplane built by Southwest High School students, roared to life before taking off on its first official flight.

26 January 2024

Texas Biomed creates new education program to support young scientists

SAN ANTONIO (January 23, 2024) – Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) is launching a new science education program with funding provided by Valero. The program will provide San Antonio high school students with hands-on biomedical research experience.

26 December 2023

Sam Ximenes is a pioneer of the new, foreign world of architecture in space

Sam Ximenes is a pioneering space architect who has a big vision and plans to make San Antonio a hub for space exploration and architecture. And while his local companies achieve success through design, Ximenes is recruiting San Antonio students for the workforce, making STEM education, tech and ar…

11 December 2023

Why Rural Matters 2023: Centering Equity and Opportunity

The National Rural Education Association is proud to release Why Rural Matters 2023—the 10th in a series of reports analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers and others to address rural education issues in th…

18 November 2023

Mark Welsh Named Sole Finalist For Texas A&M University President

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously approved Mark A. Welsh III on Friday as the sole finalist for the position of President of Texas A&M University.

Megan Tucker Selected as the NAHF 2023 A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Educator of the Year

(DAYTON, Ohio – August 11, 2023) The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced today that Megan Tucker STEAM Specialist and Dean of Curriculum at Hillsboro Charter Academy in Hillsboro, Virginia, has been selected as the NAHF’s 2023 A. Scott Crossfield Educator of the Year.

Regents Name Mark A. Welsh III Interim President Of Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously approved Mark A. Welsh III as the interim president of Texas A&M University in a special-called meeting Sunday.

Dean Mark A. Welsh III announced as acting president of Texas A&M University System

Chancellor Sharp thanked Dr. Banks for her years of service and named Welsh as acting president until the Board of Regents can meet to name an Interim President. Chancellor Sharp is recommending Welsh continue as Interim President until a national search can find Dr. Banks’ successor.

The DHEDF Rural STEM Initiative

The AMA Education Team prioritizes educating current AMA members, prospective members, and even those who are just interested in model aviation. If you read through the many entries on our Education Blog, you can see the many ways we provide engaging learning opportunities to members of all ages…

Howard 500 Model now on display at San Antonio International Airport

The Dee Howard International Education Foundation is pleased to collaborate with the City of San Antonio Department of Aviation in telling the story of the history of aviation in San Antonio by sharing items from the Dee Howard Memorabilia Collection for public display.

San Antonio innovators advance exploration of the moon ahead of human settlement with lunar cave research

Later this year, a group of three local scientists will take a canine-like robot — the popular Spot model, developed by Boston Dynamics — and venture deep into a South Texas cave. The upcoming venture into the Earth's crust marks the latest step by the group of experts to develop a detailed step…

18 February 2023

Communities In Schools Announces Unprecedented Investment from Ballmer Group

Single Largest Philanthropic Investment in Organization’s 45-Year History Will Establish a Fund to Help Schools Across the Country Reduce Inequities in Education

24 January 2023

North Pole: Terri Mynatt

Says Terri Mynatt (BSEd ’89), "Being an educator to the Athabascan people of Alaska is the most rewarding experience she could have found. Now, she’s on a quest to find other graduates of the PSU College of Education to join her."

18 January 2023

SWISD names Jeanette Ball as lone superintendent finalist

Almost two months after Jeanette Ball’s surprise resignation as superintendent of the Judson Independent School District, the Southwest Independent School District named her as the lone finalist for its top job Tuesday.

17 December 2022

The Biden Administration’s New STEM Initiative: What Will It Mean for K-12 Schools?

A new Biden administration initiative aims to expand access to science, technology, engineering, math, and medical career fields through partnerships with universities, STEM companies, and nonprofit organizations.

17 December 2022

$5M DOE grant will prepare more STEM students for careers in nuclear science and security

DECEMBER 15, 2022 — The UTSA-led Consortium on Nuclear Security Technologies (CONNECT) has received a five-year, $5 million renewal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The funds will go toward UTSA’s efforts to educate and train the next generation o…

14 December 2022

Dee Howard an aviation pioneer in SA

You wouldn’t think there would have been many firsts in flight left for someone who wasn’t born until 1920 — the year of the first transcontinental air-mail service, the first U.S. Navy flight and the first vapor trail, left by the first turbo-charged aircraft.

14 December 2022

Texas Biomed wins designation that positions it for $100M in funding

Heightened recognition and expanded contracting could expedite the institute's $300 million strategic plan and campus expansion.

04 November 2022

UTSA faculty members selected to join national STEM leadership program

OCTOBER 31, 2022 — UTSA professors Johnelle Sparks and Saadet Toker Beeson have been named fellows in the fourth cohort of the iAspire Leadership Academy — a development program aimed at helping faculty from underrepresented groups in STEM rise to leadership roles in higher education.

17 October 2022

‘The best I can do is email you’: When this Native American family’s high-speed data ran out, their kids’ remote schooling came first

Sammy Matsaw knows all about isolation in the digital era. Matsaw, 46, was about to graduate with a Ph.D. in water resources when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020. A member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Matsaw lives with his wife, Jessica Matsaw, 35, and their four children in a three…

10 October 2022

Texas Biomed strengthening STEM pipeline, igniting student interest in science

Educators want to equip students with knowledge and skills to gather data and evaluate evidence, but it’s difficult making connections in the classroom that apply to real-world scenarios.

09 October 2022

San Antonio high school student wins national award for helping bring STEM education to underserved communities

“We have a variety of different programs. We have our school year program which are live-run 40-minute lessons provided by our tutors directly to our students. And so that program is actually currently going on right now, which is great. And then we also have our summer camp program, which is aroun…

30 September 2022

DHEDF Announces the launch of the Georgia Howard Culinary Arts Initiative

Dee Howard International Education Foundation is pleased to announce that it has established the Georgia Howard Culinary Arts Initiative to support Pre-K -12 Culinary Arts in general and to expose the students to the role that culinary arts plays in both Civil and Military Aviation as well as the h…

27 September 2022

DHEDF Launches National Rural STEM Initiative

In May 2022 DHEDF announced the launch of a National STEM Initiative focused on Rural Schools. In September 2022, we launched the Initiative for the 2022/2023 academic year in twelve schools in nine states, over time our goal is to reach out to rural schools in all fifty states.

11 September 2022

Vice President Harris Announces Commitments to Inspire, Prepare, and Employ the Space Workforce

Today, at the second convening of the National Space Council, Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing new commitments from the U.S. government, private sector companies, education and training providers, and philanthropic organizations to support space-related STEM initiatives to inspire, prepar…

10 September 2022

UTSA awarded $3M NSF grant to support Hispanic and underrepresented students in STEM

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 — The University of Texas at San Antonio has been awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study pedagogical approaches for supporting Hispanic and underrepresented students in STEM disciplines.

UTSA offers new master’s program that prepares students for careers in aerospace engineering

SAN ANTONIO – This fall semester the University of Texas at San Antonio is offering a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering that will prepare students for a successful career designing aircraft, spacecraft and more.

Graduate degree will prepare UTSA students for high-demand careers in aerospace engineering

AUGUST 19, 2022 — Starting this fall semester, the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at UTSA (the Klesse College) will offer a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. It is the college’s 13th master’s program.

Congratulations to Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., 2022 Recipient of the James Bryant Conant Award

Education Commission of the States is pleased to honor Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, with the 2022 James Bryant Conant Award, in recognition of his steadfast commitment to expanding opportunity and diversifying the nation's talent pool in the STEM field…

SwRI Announces Record Levels of Research, Development Activities

May 23, 2022 — Southwest Research Institute announced a 2021 research volume of nearly $726 million, up more than 4% from 2020 and the highest recorded by the Institute. Capital expenditures were up 21%, exceeding $71 million for the first time.

Navistar truck factory to officially open as early production ramps up

Strengthening San Antonio’s claim as a new hub for automotive manufacturing, Navistar’s long-awaited truck factory will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, though production at the site has been underway for months.

Hypersonics lab at UTSA preparing students for in-demand jobs in aerospace industry

Part of what makes the UTSA Hypersonics Lab unique is the 50-foot-long, 7,000-pound Mach 7 Ludwieg Tube Wind Tunnel it houses. What makes it especially unique, however, are the students who are running the facility and are gaining invaluable experiential learning opportunities in the process.

Bombardier Delivers Final Production Learjet

The final Learjet 75 rolled out of a Bombardier Wichita hangar Monday afternoon headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for delivery to a customer of Northern Jet Management. Just a few hours earlier, the light jet’s departure followed a 30-minute-long ceremony marking the delivery and the end of 60 year…

SwRI sponsors ITS World Congress student essay, video competition with cash prize

March 29, 2022 — Southwest Research Institute invites college students to share visions for the transformation of transportation for a chance to win a $1,000 cash prize and a paid trip to Los Angeles to attend ITS World Congress September 18-22.

SwRI’s James Burch receives NASA’s highest honor

March 28, 2022 — Dr. James Burch of Southwest Research Institute has received NASA’s highest honor for nongovernment employees, its Distinguished Public Service Medal. Burch is recognized for his visionary science mission leadership in investigating the interaction of the solar wind with the magnet…

Blue Sky/Dee Howard EAA Air Academy Scholarship 2022 Awarded to Sophie Garza

Congratulations to Sophie Garza for receiving the Blue Sky Educational Foundation/Dee Howard Scholarship to attend the 2022 EAA Air Academy Advanced Camp during EAA AirVenture. The Camp runs from July 29, 2022 to August 6, 2022.

2022 San Antonio Aviation and Aerospace Hall of Fame Event

San Diego Squared co-founder wants diverse students to know that they belong in STEM

H. Puentes is the co-founder and executive director of San Diego Squared, a nonprofit he founded with partner Bill Rastetter that works to increase diversity in STEM careers through mentoring, scholarships and other programming

25 February 2022

Senators Introduce a bill to establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) this week introduced S. 1752, a bill to establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation.

05 February 2022

KSAT Community spotlight: Dee Howard Foundation aims to preserve history of aviation in San Antonio

KSAT Community is highlighting local nonprofit, the Dee Howard Foundation as the group seeks to inspire, challenge and empower innovators in the fields of aviation and aerospace while training a skilled workforce for the San Antonio, Texas Region.

04 February 2022

NASA taps Scobee Education Center as resource to study STEM

NASA has chosen San Antonio's Scobee Education Center as a partner to provide space exploration and STEM education to traditionally undeserved areas, naming it an Informal Education Community Anchor.

31 January 2022

WE HAVE LIFT OFF!

DHEDF is pleased to announce the launch of the DHEDF website at www.dhedf.org and its social media pages to implement our mission to develop programming, resources, curriculum, and initiatives to engage primarily underserved Pre-K thru 12 students in STEAM learning based on the use of automotive an…

30 January 2022

Spring 2022 Lunar Habitat and Technology Design Competition by NWAY

In partnership with NASA, the WEX Foundation offers New Worlds Await You – a high-quality STEM program offering National STEM Challenges.

25 January 2022

U.S. Drone Soccer Announces National Launch of Student Leagues

The mission of U.S. Drone Soccer is to make aerospace careers accessible for all students. Drone Soccer is an educational esport that immerses students in aviation skills through classroom lessons and after school leagues for grades 6-12 (ages 12 and up).

18 January 2022

Toyota Texas San Antonio invests over $200,000 in local STEM education

SAN ANTONIO - Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas announced on Monday that they're investing over $200,000 in local STEM education.

13 December 2021

Klesse College unveils gift from Dee Howard International Education Foundation

The Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (Klesse College) unveiled a gift from the Dee Howard International Education Foundation and The Dee Howard Foundation.

12 December 2021

Historic photo of Slick Airways aircraft presented to Institute Archives

The Dee Howard International Education Foundation recently gave a framed historic photograph of a Slick Airways aircraft to the Institute Archives. The ceremony occurred on 13 Dec 2021 at Southwest Research Institute.

09 October 2021

Aviation pioneer Dee Howard’s legacy lives on at UTSA

Within the past decade, three endowments and a certification program have been established to support engineering students and faculty, including the Wayne and Julie Fagan Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering, created this year.