Tag Archives: utep

Danisha Rivera-Nazario, Ph.D., credits the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program at The University of Texas at El Paso for a successful start to her future in chemistry.

The alum completed a postdoctoral appointment in the Emergency Response Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta over the summer.

“I strongly believe that the PREM program equips us with the necessary tools to continue a career in science, either as researchers or educators, or both in my case,” she said.

Rivera-Nazario is one of 74 participants who have been part of the program since it started at the University in 2012 with a $3.3 million grant. The main goal of this National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative is to enhance diversity in materials research and education by stimulating the development of formal, long-term, collaborative research and education partnerships between minority-serving colleges and universities and the NSF Division of Materials Research (DMR)-supported centers and facilities.

“The big issue in the U.S. is that science and technology are extremely underrepresented by minorities and women in general,” explained Luis Echegoyen, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and PREM lead. “Females are doing much better now, but traditionally that wasn’t the case. Diversity of thought, of intellect, upbringing, education is crucial. That’s why the U.S. is what it is. Increasing diversity in general is crucial for progress. Solutions are much more creative if we do this.”

UTEP’s partner in the endeavor is the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The California school is ranked as one of the top in the world in materials research. The UTEP/UCSB PREM has been symbiotic and recently earned recognition among the 12 active PREMs in the U.S. It received a Creativity Extension Award of $666,000, making the total investment from the NSF about $4 million since 2012. The creativity award reflects the foundation’s appreciation for a team that has gone above and beyond to embrace the objectives of PREM.

Jose Alfredo Caro, NSF program director, cited the UTEP PREM as a model to emulate, complimenting Echegoyen’s leadership and the program’s success in achieving almost twice the average number of publications for this type of award.

“For an award in its first 5-year cycle, it is the only one that has achieved a 100 percent URM (underrepresented minority) participation in supported students at all education levels,” Caro said in an email to members of the 12 active PREMs. “The use of the funds given by NSF is also exemplary – 100 percent of the resources were applied to support students and their work, a quite unique case in the entire PREM portfolio. The effectiveness of the PREM resources used in this way has been maximized and constitutes an example to follow by other awardees.”

The PREM program at UTEP provides students accepted into the program the opportunity to work with seven researchers, including Skye Fortier, Ph.D. assistant professor of chemistry and UCSB alum.

“The PREM program is a research-intensive endeavor that is focusing on improving the way we harness and store energy,” Fortier said. “The efficient harnessing of clean solar energy is something that has worldwide implications. Additionally, for its students, the PREM program provides many of the skills and training that early-career scientists need to be competitive in a 21st century global market.”

Students in the program receive a salary, travel stipends, and materials and supplies to conduct their research. There is also a strong outreach component.

“PREM researchers from UTEP develop modules and present them to students,” said Kimberly Salayandia, PREM program coordinator. “These are hands-on activities where our researchers take their knowledge gained in their courses, and in their research lab, and try to demonstrate that to the students.”

For Rivera-Nazario, the skills and interdisciplinary experience gained made a difference.

“In my current position, I work alongside chemists, biochemists, biologists and statisticians,” said the PREM alumna. “Thanks to the multidisciplinary exposure in the PREM program, I’ve successfully collaborated with them in completing projects or tackling research challenges.”

Echegoyen is hoping for another five-year grant for the program as he has big plans for the future. The team will submit its application in January.

For more on the program, visit the PREM page online.

Author: Lauren Macias-Cervantes – UTEP Communications

The UTEP men’s basketball team will embark on its first foreign tour in 12 years on Tuesday.

The Miners will spend four full days in Costa Rica, where they will play three games versus Canadian teams while sampling the culture and landscape of the beautiful Central American country.

“Ideally what we’d like out of this trip is for everybody to get a lot of minutes,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said.  “We’ve got three ballgames.  We’d like for our players to play in different situations, different roles.  We might have big lineups out there with big guards.  We might have three small guards out there at one time, and two bigs at one time.  We’re hoping for some kind of carryover from what we’ve worked on in practice.  We’d like to come out of this injury-free and we’d like to come out of it a more experienced team.”

The Miners will depart for Dallas on Tuesday morning, and arrive in San Jose at 6 p.m. local time.  They have games scheduled versus McGill University on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and Thursday (5 p.m.), and the University of British Columbia on Friday (11:30 a.m.).  The team will arrive in El Paso mid-afternoon on Sunday after enjoying an off-day Saturday.

The Miners’ visit will include a tour of San Jose on Wednesday, a visit to the Holy Spirit orphanage on Thursday, a walk across a crocodile bridge on Friday and a Zip Line experience on Saturday.

From a basketball standpoint, the Miners will take on a McGill University team out of Montreal that has already played four games versus Division I opponents this month.  The Redmen lost to Alabama (96-57), SMU (86-83 in overtime) and Towson (84-53) in Montreal and beat Kent State (85-79) on Monday afternoon in Costa Rica.

The starting lineup for the first game against McGill University, based on a fan vote, will feature three freshmen – forward Tirus Smith and guards Evan Gilyard and Trey Wade, who will joined by senior forward Jake Flaggert and senior center Matt Willms.

NCAA teams are permitted to take foreign tours once every four years.  The 2005-06 Miners went to Madrid and the Canary Islands and also played three games versus Telde, UD Vecindario and Gran Canaria.

Lauren Crenshaw (88’) converted a penalty kick while Alyssa Palacios recorded six saves to highlight the action for the UTEP soccer team in an entertaining 2-1 setback in an exhibition game loss vs. Pacific 12 power Arizona at a steamy University Field Sunday afternoon.

The Wildcats received goals from Amanda Porter (31’) and Cali Crisler (79’) in order to get just enough offense to get past the Miners.

“Well we learned a lot,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “We have a real young team. We played one of the top teams in the country. We learned a lot from the game, got some real good experience. That will help prepare us for Friday (NM State) when it really counts. We got better as the game went on and got a lot of experience from young players who hadn’t played at this level. The defense was fairly good too.”

Shots (19-3) and corner kicks (4-1) favored the visitors but the Miners had much better possession in the second half. Plus over the 45 minutes the Orange and Blue accounted for the lone corner kick of the period and shots on goal stood 2-1 in favor of UA.

Cross did a good job of getting lots of playing time across the board, with 19 Miners earning time on the pitch.

UTEP will begin the season in earnest by venturing to Las Cruces to lock up with NM State (Aug. 18) in the First Light Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10. It is the first time since 2012 that UTEP will christen the campaign on the road.

UTEP’s home opener comes against Abilene Christian (Aug. 20) at 1 p.m. It will be the “Camper Reunion” game, with Miner soccer academy members getting in free. There will also be posters given away, prize packs, autographed gear and mini soccer balls.

A day after the UTEP football team went full pads, the Miners played their first scrimmage on Sunday in which big plays were made on both sides of the ball.

Sophomore running back Kevin Dove opened the scrimmage with a 75-yard touchdown rush. Dove broke multiple tackles on his way to pay dirt to get the offense fired up. Twelve plays later senior signal caller Zack Greenlee found junior wide receiver Warren Redix for an 80-yard score.

But the UTEP defense, under second-year defensive coordinator Tom Mason, made adjustments and made plays of its own. Junior transfer defensive back Khalil Rashaad-Brown picked off a pass for the first forced turnover and junior corner Nik Needham also intercepted a pass in the red zone for the second forced turnover.

Back to the offensive side of the ball, UTEP’s new pass catchers made impacts as junior transfer wide receiver Alan Busey made a 33-yard grab from junior quarterback Ryan Metz and sophomore transfer tight end Josh Weeks tallied a pair of grabs for 29 yards, including a long of 25 yards from Metz.

UTEP’s other transfer tight end junior David Lucero tallied a seven-yard reception and junior transfer wide receiver Keynan Foster recorded a six-yard reception.

During the ‘gotta-have-it’ segment, where the offense takes the ball at midfield on a 4th-and-four scenario, Terry Juniel took a Metz pass to the end zone for a 50-yard score. The Miners didn’t convert the first fourth-down attempt.

The UTEP defense registered four sacks; one each by sophomore Denzel Chukwukelu, senior Alvin Jones, senior Lawrence Montegut and junior transfer Jamar Smith.

As far as leading tacklers, freshman Dedrick Simpson, senior Devin Cockrell and Jamar Smith each recorded a trio of stops.

Redix led the way with 88 yards on two receptions to lead the receivers, Dove led the running backs with 76 yards on five carries and Metz led the quarterbacks with 108 yards on 7-of-12 passing and an interception.

Greenlee threw for 86 yards on 2-of-3 passing and a score, and redshirt freshman Mark Torrez threw the other interception.

The Miners will continue with camp on Tuesday and will play the second and final scrimmage of camp on Sunday, Aug. 20 at approximately at 8:45 a.m. MT. The team will head back to the Sun City following the scrimmage

It was a chance for the 2017-18 UTEP Miners to stretch their legs, show their skills and have some fun with fans Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center.

The Miners put on a show for the UTEP faithful, running a scrimmage, a slam dunk contest and autograph session.  Our very own Andres Acosta was there, and while he didn’t show off his patented Windmill Dunk, he did take his gear and brings you his view of the fun in today’s Story in Many Pics.

LONDON – UTEP’s Tobi Amusan made her debut at the IAAF (International Athletic Association Federation) World Championships in the 100m Hurdles Friday afternoon.

Amusan (Nigeria) clocked a time of 12.97 in the final heat of the 100m hurdles qualifiers early this morning. The All-American returned to the track just eight hours later to run in the second of three semifinal heats. Amusan finished fourth (13.04) and took 14th overall.

Also competing with Amusan was former Miner Greta Kerekes (Hungary), where she stopped the clock at 13.15 in the qualifying heats to finish 26th overall.

In the women’s long jump, former Miner Blessing Okagbare finished in eighth place with a mark of 6.55m (21-6). Okagbare has one event left to compete in as part of the Nigerian 4x100m relay team running on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 3:35 a.m. M.T. and the finals of the relay event running at 2:50 p.m. M.T.

The remainder of the World Championships are being streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage for each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

Driving past the mountain on Sun Bowl Drive to The University of Texas at El Paso, Stan Lau glanced at the dilapidated shanties lining the Anapra hillside, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Juárez.

This was Lau’s first look at the Mexican city located across the Rio Grande from UTEP. Before that morning, Lau had only read about Juárez in news accounts and in the novel “If I Die in Juárez,” which he read for a Mexican-American literature class he took in graduate school.

“You can see the (U.S.-Mexico) border right there,” Lau, an English teacher at San Francisco University High School, said. “It’s this prominent reminder of difference (between two countries), and yet I don’t know if there is really that much of a difference.”

Lau and 24 other middle and high school teachers from across the United States were at UTEP for a two-week summer institute in July titled, “Tales from the Chihuahuan Desert: Borderlands Narratives about Identity and Binationalism,” sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

“I think the important thing for me is to be in this space, to be fully present, and to see for myself,” Lau continued, “and to act as an ambassador for UTEP and share what I learned because I think this is a really special space.”

Led by UTEP faculty members Ignacio Martínez, Ph.D., and Joseph Rodríguez, Ph.D., the institute highlighted the significant role borderlands populations have had on American history and literature.

It also addressed stereotypes that have portrayed the U.S.-Mexico border region as dangerous, illegitimate, and as part of a distinct counter-culture.

“The teachers that have come to us are teaching in places like New York, Florida and Atlanta, and they have binational students,” said Martínez, an assistant professor of history. “This institute is about how we tell the stories of binational people and how those stories impact students across the country who are experiencing some of the same issues that people in the borderland experience in terms of nationality and identity.”

Immersive Storytelling

From July 16-30, 2017, teachers explored the land and the people of the Chihuahuan desert through history, literature, art, film, journalism, music and theater.

They created e-portfolios that included lesson plans to teach their students about the impact the border’s binational populations have had on the American experience, which some believe has been minimized in textbooks.

“We want teachers to know that they’re always learners like their students,” said Rodríguez, an assistant professor of English. “The narratives of biculturalism and of binationalism continue to change. We have many contributions of artists, historians, writers from this region, and that keeps changing the growing body of literature. We want to introduce them to those canonical voices of the past, but also the contemporary classics that are among us.”

Scholars attended comprehensive storytelling workshops that featured leading UTEP faculty experts and award-winning scholars, including UTEP alumna and author Pat Mora, who held a private poetry reading.

They toured the El Paso Mission Trail, Old Mesilla and other historic and cultural sites, and also heard firsthand accounts about triumphs and challenges from people living in the borderland.

Talia Gonzalez, an eighth-grade Spanish teacher from New York, was inspired after she listened to Antonia Morales, a 40-year resident of the Duranguito neighborhood in Downtown El Paso, talk about her struggle with the city to keep her home from being demolished.

“We in particular strive to teach our kids to be activists, but she’s doing it at 89 years old by herself,” Gonzalez said. “(Morales) says she’s not educated and she doesn’t have the tools that we have, but she’s still doing it and that’s what we want our kids to learn.”

Gonzalez teaches a class on Latinos in the U.S. She covers topics on immigration, identity, civil rights and equal treatment. Her goal is to incorporate themes from the institute into her curriculum.

“I live in New York, so obviously far from the U.S.-Mexico border,” Gonzalez said. “When I talk to my students about immigration, it’s not really looking at the Southwest and the border. It’s a different experience. Some of my kids and their families have crossed the Southwestern border and I want to talk to them about that and incorporate their experiences. I want (my students) to understand what that’s like because it’s part of the American story and it needs to be told.”

NEH Summer Scholars

The Summer Institute at UTEP is one of 70 NEH education summer programs taking place at schools, colleges and universities across the country on a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of up to $3,300 help cover expenses for these one- to four-week residential programs.

Richard Pettit, a program analyst for the NEH’s Division of Education Programs, said the NEH looks to fund projects that have solid humanities content. The NEH has previously funded programs that have focused on the U.S.-Mexico border, but Pettit noted that UTEP’s summer institute was unique.

“(Ignacio Martínez and Joseph Rodríguez) are really creative,” said Pettit, who was at the institute to conduct a site visit. “I think they’re doing a really wonderful job and you can see the teachers are enthusiastic.”

Pettit said a goal of these residential summer programs was for participants to learn from each other and form long-lasting relationships.

Stan Lau echoed Pettit’s sentiments.

“What’s been really amazing about this institute is the fact that I get to meet teachers from all walks of life in different types of schools in one space in which we bring our own lenses to the conversation,” Lau said. He plans to apply his knowledge from the institute to create a course on “The Global Novel.” “That is really inspiring and enriching.”

More information on the Summer Institute is available here.

Author: Laura L. Acosta – UTEP Communications

The UTEP soccer team will have a fierce test prior to the start of its 2017 regular season when it plays host to Pacific 12 power Arizona in an exhibition contest with free admission at 1 p.m. MT Sunday.

It marks the first time since 2004 that the Miners will tune up for the campaign by virtue of an exhibition game. Posters and other items will be given away at the gates of University Field.

“We are fortunate to have an exhibition game this year as we have not had that luxury in past years,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “It will give us the opportunity to see what our young players can do before the season starts. We are excited to play Arizona as they are a top team, and they will challenge us. Our UTEP soccer fans will get a chance to see a great game for free!”

Arizona is 43-29-9 since 2013, winning nine games in each season and making two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one Sweet 16 showing in that timeframe. It is the most successful four-year stretch in the program’s history.

UTEP is coming off a 13-7-2 season-its most wins since 2009- while also making a run to the semifinals of the 2016 Conference USA Championships. There are 13 letter winners in the fold, including six starters, but the Miners have a distinct youthful flavor to the squad in 2017. Of the 27 student-athletes on the roster, 20 are either freshmen (12) or sophomores (eight).

The starters back are Kennadie Chaudhary-Sr., MF, Lauren Crenshaw-So., D, Kori Lewis- So., D, Jeanna Mullen-Sr., F, Alyssa Palacios-Jr., GK and Payton Ross-Jr., D.“

Following the exhibition tilt against the Wildcats, UTEP will begin the season in earnest by venturing to Las Cruces to lock up with NM State (Aug. 18) in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10. It is the first time since 2012 that UTEP will christen the campaign on the road.

UTEP’s home opener comes against Abilene Christian (Aug. 20) at 1 p.m. It will be the “Camper Reunion” game, with Miner soccer academy members getting in free.

There will also be posters given away, prize packs, autographed gear and mini soccer balls.

The University of Texas at El Paso has renamed the campus’s 60-plus parking areas based on street locations, proximity to a building or a campus function.

UTEP officials say most of the new parking lot signs will be up before the University’s fall semester begins on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Each lot and structure will be identified at each entrance.

With few exceptions, the lot number will be sequential moving north and east.

As part of a Wayfinding Plan that was developed in conjunction with the comprehensive Campus Transformation master plan, the goal is to provide campus visitors and students, faculty and staff with a more intuitive and descriptive idea of where to park, depending on where the motorist needs to be for class or to take care of campus business.

The public is encouraged to visit parking.utep.edu and review the new map. For any questions,  the PTS office can be contacted at 915-747-5724 or via email at parking@utep.edu.

LONDON – Former UTEP Miner Blessing Okagbare qualified for the women’s long jump final at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships on Wednesday afternoon.

Under rainy conditions, Okagbare notched a second-place finish with a mark of 6.51m (21-3.5). The Nigeria native qualified for her third World Championship final. She garnered a silver medal in 2015.

Heading into the final, Okagbare recorded the eighth-best jump of the 32 competitor field and will look to make another podium appearance on Friday, Aug. 11 at 12:10 p.m. M.T.

Making their first appearance at the World Championships on Friday will be junior Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) and Greta Kerekes (Hungary) in the 100m hurdles. Amusan clocked the seventh-fastest time (12.57) in the world this year when she captured her first NCAA title in the 100m hurdles. Kerekes notched a qualifying time of 13.10 earlier this year.

Both athletes will take the track on at 3:45 a.m. M.T. where the top three athletes from each heat qualify to the semifinal round set to run at 12:05 p.m. Should Amusan and Kerekes earn a spot in the semifinal they will need to finish in the top two of their heat with the next two best times making the final, set for Saturday, Aug. 12 at 1:05 p.m.

The World Championships are being streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

The eight-annual UTEP Soccer Media Penalty Kick Challenge was held Wednesday, and not only featured members of the local media but the entire UTEP Soccer Team.

Our very own Andres Acosta was there, and while he didn’t take any shots on goal, he did take some awesome shots of the action and brings them to you via today’s ‘Story in Many Pics’

The 2017 season begins with the Miners venturing to Las Cruces to lock up with NM State (Aug. 18) in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10. It is the first time since 2012 that UTEP will christen the campaign on the road.

UTEP will welcome Abilene Christian (Aug. 20) to town for its home opener. The contest will be the first of three straight and six of eight in the Sun City to wrap up non-conference play

Miners add eight to roster after first practice at camp Ruidoso on Tuesday.

UTEP football looks to add depth with the addition of three defensive, three offensive and two special teams student-athletes.

Head coach Sean Kugler also announced that walk-ons TK Powell, Keynan Foster, Johnny Jones, David Jackson and Robert Pufahl have earned scholarships for their performance on the field and classroom.

The Miners will continue practice tomorrow in Ruidoso, N.M. and will scrimmage for the first time on Sunday starting at 8: 45 a.m. MT

FULL BIOS

Alan Busey | WR | 6-1 | 180 | JR-TR | Hayward, Calif. (Chabot CC)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played two years at Chabot Junior College … hauled in 73 passes for 1,521 yards (20.8 avg.) and 18 touchdowns in 19 contests played during career at Chabot … recorded 441 yards on 23 receptions and six scores in eight games during the 2016 campaign … caught a pair of touchdowns during a win against Fresno … registered season bests in yards (86) and receptions (five) with a score during a triumph against Sequoias … named 2015 Region I All-California first team offense after recording 1,080 yards on 50 receptions (21.6 avg.) and 12 touchdowns in 11 games during freshman season … broke out with career highs in yards (236) and touchdown receptions (three) on seven catches during a win against Fresno … hauled in a career-best 11 passes for 204 yards and three scores … notched 130 yards on seven catches and a touchdown during a win against Modesto.

PERSONAL: Full name is Alan Trey Busey … son of Alan Busey, Sr. and Marilyn Lee … has three brothers and two sisters … born in Minneapolis, Minn. … undeclared major.

Josh Dunn | LB | 6-0 | 195 | FR-HS | Sarasota, Fla. (Lake Wales)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played two years on the varsity squad at Lake Wales High School … posted 66 tackles (59 solo) with 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, an interception (10-yard return), two fumble recoveries and six forced fumbles during senior season (2015) … opened senior campaign with 10 tackles (nine solo), 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and an interception during a victory against Ridge Community … posted another 10 stops (nine solo) with a forced fumble against Auburndale … played nine games at defensive back during junior season (2014) … registered 41 tackles (eight solo) with 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions (73-return yards), two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

PERSONAL: Full name is Joshua Thomas Dunn … son of Charles Dunn and Carla Johnson … has two sisters … born in Winter Haven, Fla. … business major.

Bijan Hosseini | OL | 6-3 | 300 | JR-TR | Upland, Calif. (Chaffey CC)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played sophomore year (2016) at Chaffey College on the offensive line, seeing action in four contests … posted a tackle against El Camino … played in two games during freshman year (2015) at Fullerton College.

PERSONAL: Bijan Hosseini is the son of Perry Hosseini … has one sister … born in Upland, Calif. … undeclared major.

Jesse Montgomery | DB | 6-1 | 180 | SR-TR | Dallas, Texas (SMU)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played two seasons at SMU, seeing action in 19 contests during the 2014 and 2015 seasons … posted 10 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups in eight games (three starts) during 2015 … opened season with four tackles against Baylor … posted four tackles at Houston … played in 11 games, making two starts during redshirt freshman season … tallied 20 stops (13 solo) with a trio of pass breakups in 2014 … recorded season-best five tackles versus Houston

PERSONAL: Full name is Jesse Romello Montgomery … son of Alton and Kimberly Montgomery … father was a cornerback and kick returner in the NFL for the Denver Broncos (1990-92) and Atlanta Falcons (1993-95) … has one brother and two sisters … born in Griffin, Ga. … undeclared major.

Khalil Rashaad-Brown | DB | 5-10 | 185 | JR-TR | Carson, Calif. (Long Beach City College)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played 2016 season at Long Beach City College … posted 33 tackles (29 solo) with 2.0 tackles for loss and six pass breakups in all 11 games … registered season-high eight tackles (six solo) in a win against Riverside … recorded four tackles and two pass breakups to help Vikings win the 2016 Western State Bowl … played freshman season (2015) at Mt. San Antonio College, posting 32 tackles, two interceptions, 10 passes defended and a forced fumble in 11 games played … tallied six tackles as efforts surged Mounties to a Patriotic Bowl victory.

PERSONAL: Full name is Khalil Ahmad Rashaad-Brown … son of Donald Brown and Michelle Rodriguez … father, Don, played cornerback at Oregon (1982-83, 1985-86) … has one brother and one sister … born in Corona, Calif. … kinesiology major.

Jake Sammut | LS | 5-8 | 170 | JR-TR | Mohave Valley, Ariz. (College of Canyons)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at College of the Canyons in 2014 and 2016 … saw action in five contests as the team’s long snapper … tallied a solo tackle against Grossmont … named to 2016 Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Scholar-Athlete team … played in three games in 2014, registering a pair of tackles … played varsity baseball at River Valley High School for two years.

PERSONAL: Full name is Jacob Joseph Belpedio Sammut … son of Mike Belpedio Summut and Terri Wright … has two brothers … born in Bullhead City, Ariz. … business management studies major.  

Logan Tuley-Tillman | OL | 6-7 | 320 | SR-TR | Peoria, Ill. (Akron)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played first three years of collegiate football at Michigan … redshirted for the Wolverines during first year in 2013, played in one contest in 2014 and did not see action in 2015 … played junior season (2016) at Akron, starting in all 12 contests for the Zips … one of only seven Zips to start every game … Akron rushers combined for 1,586 yards and 13 scores, while Akron quarterbacks combined for 25 touchdowns, 3,063 yards on 217-of-396 passing and 14 interceptions … Zips’ quarterbacks were sacked 25 times in games.

PERSONAL: Full name is Latonya Logan Tuley-Tillman … son of Tony Tillman, Angela Tuley and Chris Collins (foster father) … has four younger brothers and six younger sisters … born in Peoria, Ill. … pursuing a master’s degree in leadership studies

Brady Viles | K | 6-0 | 210 | SO-TR | Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Western College)

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at Arizona Western in 2016 … was 3-for-3 on point after touchdown attempts … missed lone field goal attempt … played in all 13 games … made all three PAT attempts against Everett Red Raiders … was a kickoff specialist with over 80 percent touchbacks … played in the NJCAA Football Championship game and tallied four kickoffs with all of them being touchbacks (50.8 avg.) … helped the team rate first nationally and first in conference in PATs … posted two tackles (one solo) against Glendale … in 2015, played at Arizona Post Graduate Academy … played in 14 games under center at River Valley High School during senior season in 2014 … passed for 1,770 yards on 83-of-144 attempts with 18 scores and only two interceptions … ran for 662 yards on 85 carries (7.8 avg.) and two touchdowns.

PERSONAL: Full name is Brady Lee Viles … son of Jeff and Lori Viles … has two sisters … born in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. … undeclared major.

The Black EOE (Employment and Entrepreneur) Journal released the results of its annual “Best of the Best” list for 2017, and The University of Texas at El Paso’s Master of Business Administration program has earned a spot on the list of Top MBA Programs.

“This ranking and acknowledgement is a testament to the collective efforts and successes of the UTEP MBA alumni, students, faculty and staff,” said Laura M. Uribarri, assistant dean for UTEP College of Business Administration. “It is also one more validation of our mission of access and excellence in graduate business education.”

The rankings are based on the publication’s review of the nation’s Best of the Best Top Employers; Supplier Diversity Programs; LGBT-Friendly Companies and MBA Programs.

The journal, now celebrating its 26th year of diversity, polled hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies for the evaluations and considered market research, independent research, diversity conference participation and survey responses.

“By sharing these unique responses, we hope to not only increase quality candidates, but encourage other companies to follow the lead and ultimately create a more diverse workforce,” said Mona Lisa Faris, president and publisher of Black EOE Journal.

This is the latest accolade for the MBA program. Hispanic Network Magazine recently announced its 2017 “Best of the Best” lists, and the program was included among the nation’s elite.

UTEP’s College of Business Administration is the El Paso area’s only school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – the premier international accrediting body for business schools.

Other universities recognized include Yale, Stanford, Harvard and Columbia.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents will recognize three University of Texas at El Paso faculty members for their extraordinary classroom performance and innovative instruction in the classroom with the highly prestigious 2017 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA).

This year’s UTEP recipients include: Song An, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics education; Isabel Baca, Ph.D., professor of English; and Ann Branan Horak, Ph.D., associate professor of practice of religious studies and women’s and gender studies.

“I’m pleased that the UT System Board of Regents has honored three members of the UTEP faculty for their outstanding teaching,” said Howard C. Daudistel, Ph.D., interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“The Regents’ recognition validates UTEP’s commitment to excellence in the classroom and our faculty’s dedication to student success. Our award-winning faculty are not only excellent classroom teachers; they are outstanding scholars who motivate UTEP students with their command of the subjects they teach and inspire students to become engaged learners by participating in a wide variety of extracurricular activities that enhance learning and professional development. Our three Regents’ Outstanding Teachers winners were selected through a highly competitive and rigorous review process. I congratulate each one of them for their dedication to student success and UTEP’s access and excellence mission.”

The ROTA was established in 2008 to recognize faculty from the system’s 14 academic and health campuses who deliver the highest quality of instruction in the classroom, laboratory, field and online.

Each recipient is awarded $25,000 during an Aug. 23, 2017, celebration in Austin. Since the program’s inception, 68 UTEP faculty members have received the award.

“The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards is one of the nation’s largest awards programs to honor exceptional instruction in the university classroom,” Board of Regents Chairman Paul L. Foster said. “It is a reflection of the value the University of Texas System and the Board of Regents place on extraordinary teaching and student success, and it represents our profound appreciation to these wonderful educators and the life-changing impact they have on students at UT institutions.”

LONDON – UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir and former Miner Blessing Okagbare advanced to the semifinal round of their respective events Saturday morning at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships.

Korir made his debut for at the World Championships a success, winning heat four of five with a qualifying time of 1:47.08. The Kenyan advances to the semifinal round which will run on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. M.T.

The top two athletes from three heats of the semifinal round qualify for Tuesday’s final at 2:35 p.m.

Okagbare showed her experience in the 100m qualifying round, clocking a time of 11.22 to

notch a second-place finish behind American Tori Bowe (11.05).