March 04, 2019

Castro Announces $353,414 NSF Grant to UTSA for Student Engagement and Retention

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced a $353, 414 National Science Foundation (NSF) award to a project led by Dr. Eric Brey and Dr. Amina Qutub at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). This project specifically supports undergraduate students by promoting engagement with biomedical engineering research to benefit our community’s active-duty military and Veterans.

“I welcome the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding awarded to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to aid in student retention while providing additional resources for undergraduates, active duty military, and Veterans,” said Rep. Castro. “UTSA remains at the forefront of scientific research while continuing to push community engagement, making them an ideal candidate to receive this grant. San Antonio is home to Military City USA, and UTSA undoubtedly contributes to efforts that improve the lives of students, active duty military, and Veterans alike.”

Background: UTSA's Biomedical engineering Research for Active military and Veterans (BRAVe) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program will promote retention of students during critical periods during their engineering education by providing structured biomedical research experiences, support groups, and mentoring. The project will engage students with biomedical research focused on military and Veterans health, and connect undergraduates with mentors from both UTSA and UT Health San Antonio research programs to learn about potential career opportunities serving our military and Veterans community. The BRAVe REU program will operate as a 10-week summer program in which undergraduate students will intern in one of twelve UTSA laboratories focused on identifying engineering solutions to enable tissue repair or regeneration, non-invasively monitoring tissue recovery, and treating soldiers in the battlefield. The program, led by UTSA, will include collaboration with partners throughout our community, such as the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, the City of San Antonio’s Veterans and Military Affairs Office, Trinity University, and the University of the Incarnate Word. The grant is projected to run from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022

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