A scientific investment

Even with the financial conundrum looming in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway took a break from Congress Tuesday morning to discuss a $5 million grant the University of Texas Permian Basin received to get a proposed engineering program off the ground.

UTPB hosted a press conference Tuesday morning announcing a two-year grant totaling almost $5 million, and the money will be available tomorrow to get things rollin'.

"The grant will enable the university to take final steps to establish an engineering program here," UTPB President David Watts said. "We've passed most of the thresholds in getting this under way."

More specifically, Watts said the grant would help increase knowledge and availability of the engineering program to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students.

Susan Lara, UTPB vice president of student affairs, said the grant will help inform and encourage students to get involved in a subject area that they think is difficult. She said students typically become intimidated by the difficulty of engineering degrees.

The grant will also increase math achievements and engineering options, particularly chemical, mechanical and petroleum engineering, Watts said.

In addition, the grant will provide a transfer adviser to work with community colleges.

Odessa College received a similar grant $1.1 million for a two-year period totaling $2.2 million, and plans to institute an associates engineering program, OC President Gregory Williams said last week. 

Watts said if all goes well with the UT System's coordinating board meeting in Austin in January, then he hopes to have everything going in the fall.

"Subject to approval of the coordinating board, we hope to have classes in September 2009," Watts said.

Lara said an engineering program is needed.

"We need to increase achievement in that area in the United States," she said.

Conaway said it is a great endeavor for West Texas to be able to create an engineering program, and that America needs to increase the number of engineering graduates to compete with the rest of the world.

China and India graduate with numbers that dwarf America's progress in engineering, and this will help America be more competitive around the world, he said.

"With this grant, I'm confident this will get off of the ground," Conaway said. "Hopefully one day there will be some breakthrough that will make this world a better place."

PURCHASES TO BE MADE WITH GRANT

>> Resource center for student study in Engineering.

>> Software to support mathematics achievement.

>> Classroom technology through TEGRITY and other programs.

>> Classroom technology for Science and Technology Building.

 LABS

>> Chemical Engineering Operations Lab.

>> Heat Transfer Lab.

>> Radiation Protection Lab.

>> Reactions Lab.

>> Mechatronics Lab.

>> Controls Lab.

>> Data Communications Lab.