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The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
www.utb.edu
Career Center
The next in this series will appear on Mar. 11
KNOWLEDGE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES
The next in the edition of this series will appear on Oct. 23, 2008
Building Space Robots
Take these steps to become
a UTB/TSC student
• Take a campus tour. For more information,
contact New Student Relations at
(956) UTB-4YOU.
• Complete an online admissions form at
www.utb.edu.
• Take the COMPASS, THEA or a stateapproved alternate test prior to enrollment.
For more information on COMPASS testing
dates, call the Testing Center at
(956) 882-8875.
• Meet with an academic advisor to plan a
course schedule and degree plan. For more
information, contact Academic Advising at
(956) 882-7362.
• Attend Scorpiontation, UTB/TSC’s
freshman orientation experience. For more
information, call the Dean of Students Office
at (956) 882-5141.
Financial Aid Checklist
Above: UTB/TSC computer science senior Heriberto Reynosa demonstrates his robot for Harlingen HS science and engineering students.
Robotics hobby, UTB/TSC education leads student to
space exploration opportunities
I
n his garage, Heriberto Reynoso has
robots that move objects, execute
tasks and perform simple movements.
His robots have done more than
he programmed them to do: They
have opened doors and created big
opportunities for The University of Texas
at Brownsville and Texas Southmost
College computer science senior.
Reynoso built his first robot as a
sophomore at Simon Rivera High School
in Brownsville for a Technology Student
Association competition.
“Before then I was into RC cars, which
my former neighbor had given (me), and
that was a hobby,” he said. “So, I had
worked with RC car motors before and
was able to build it from scratch using
those parts.”
Reynoso was hooked. He continued
to build and enjoyed participating in
competitions, such as the Rio Grande
Valley Regional Science and Engineering
Fair, which celebrates 50 years in
March.
“At those competitions, you not only
get to create something yourself, but you
get to see what your peers are doing,” he
said. “To me, that is great because then
you get ideas on ways to incorporate
someone else’s ideas and their creativity
into your own projects.”
Always looking ahead, Reynoso knew
artificial intelligence was the future of
robotics, but the path to his own future
after high school was less clear.
When he decided to attend school
close to home, he talked to a number of
professors at UTB/TSC and found the
right fit in the computer science program
to study programming in depth.
“The professors were willing to talk
to me, and I was able to find the right
fit for me,” he said. “Although UTB/
TSC is close to home, it doesn’t make it
any lesser in quality. I actually think it
is a really great bargain for a bachelor’s
degree.”
The last two summers, Reynoso was
an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., the leading
U.S. center for robotic exploration of the
solar system.
There he helped develop robots used in
space exploration.
“I found when I was there I was at the
same level as other interns from Caltech
(The California Institute of Technology),
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology), and other bigger schools,”
National Median Annual Wages for Computer Science and
Information Systems Industry*
Software publishers
Computer systems design and related services
Management of companies and enterprises
Depository credit intermediation
Insurance carriers
Management of companies and enterprises
Computer systems design and related services
Wired telecommunications carriers
Colleges, universities and professional schools
Elementary and secondary schools
Wired telecommunications carriers
Employment services
Insurance carriers
*Source: U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov)
UPCOMING EVENTS
$126,840
$118,120
$115,150
$113,380
$109,810
$70,680
$70,490
$66,950
$57,380
$56,320
$75,930
$70,070
$69,790
he said. “It was a great experience.”
During the school year, Reynoso
encourages students across the Rio
Grande Valley as a presenter and mentor,
urging them to get started with internships
and camps early, even before college.
“There are a lot of programs for
students interested in science and
engineering to start looking into now,” he
said. “Participating in competitions and
science fairs is also a great outlet.”
After he graduates, Reynoso hopes
to work for NASA’s JPL. For now, he
continues to build robots at his home.
In the next few months, he plans to
collaborate with his friends and others
on his project through a live webcast on
www.valleyrobots.com. On the website
he will solicit ideas from those who log
on.
“Right now I have this idea of a robot that
is an expandable ball that can be used for
things ranging from emergency response
to collecting specimens on mars,” he
said. “It’s all about collaboration, and the
more help you get the better.”
For enrollment questions and advice, please
contact New Student Relations
at (956) UTB-4YOU.
Computer and Information Sciences
Degrees at UTB/TSC
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
online in order to apply for federal and
state grant, work-study, and loan programs
(www.fasfa.ed.gov). Parents and students
should apply for a pin number at
www.pin.ed.gov.
2. Students must apply for admission
to UTB/TSC and make sure all official
transcripts are sent to the Office of
Admissions. Transfers students must
request evaluation of transcripts.
3. Take the Compass/e-Write exam or other
Texas Success Initiative (TSI) test. Check
with the Testing Office at (956) 882-8875.
4. Students will receive either a Student
Aid Report (SAR) or a Student Aid
Acknowledgement and must review the
information for accuracy.
5. A financial aid advisor will review the
application and may need to request
additional documentation from the
student. Comply with all Financial Aid Office
requests for verification of information.
6. Once the file is completed and cleared, the
student will receive a letter stating his/
her eligibility status and/or award offer via
e-mail.
7. Register for classes before the designated
deadlines as indicated in the course
schedule and pay balance at Business
Office before payment deadline. Six credit
hours are required for most financial
aid programs. E-mail your financial aid
questions to [email protected].
• Certificates: Computer Information Technology,
Computer Web Development
• Associate: Associate of Science in Computer Science,
Applied Science in Computer Information Systems,
Applied Science in Computer Web Development
• Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science,
Bachelor of Applied Technology in Computer Information
Systems, Technology Minor in Science in Computer
Science
• Master’s: Master of Science in Computer Science
• Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in
Computer Science
• Scholarship and Internship Programs: NASA Motivating
Undergraduates in Sciences and Technology (MUST);
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
RIO GRANDE VALLEY REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR
Sunday, March 6, 2010 • Garza Gymnasium and ITEC Center • Open to public 3–4 p.m.
FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOPS
www.utb.edu
1. Apply for financial aid using Free
Wednesdays in March • 5–8 p.m. • Tandy 213 • Call (956) 882-8277 for more information.