New Mexico State University announced More than 30 students participated in the Great Minds in STEM conference held this fall. These students excelled in various competitions and an award-winning performance in the Cybersecurity Hackathon at the conference. The event took place this year, providing an opportunity for students to network with professionals from leading technology companies.
Let's start by looking at some of the outstanding achievements made by NMSU students at this prestigious conference. NMSU, a member of CAHSI, celebrated student success at the Great Minds in STEM conference. In the novice category, NMSU students Benjamin Widner, Cassandra Ganska, and Horacio Gonzalez took first place, while an all-woman team—Sarah Diaz, Kayla Wilson, and Breanna Widner—secured second place in the advanced category. Nicholas Grijalva was honored as a CAHSI scholar, receiving a scholarship, and in the Data Analytics challenge, Jason Miller achieved third place under Tuan Le's leadership, according to a press release by NMSU.
Raena Cota explained further about what makes this conference special. "The GMiS conference is specifically a conference for underrepresented students in STEM," said Raena Cota, program manager in the Computer Science Department and connector for the Southwest Region of CAHSI, according to a press release by NMSU. "The conference is not only for computer science students but at least half of the students who attend the conference are computer science students because of the long-time partnership between GMiS and CAHSI."
Individual accolades were plentiful during this gathering as well. Maria Morelia Enriquez Martinez, a mechanical and aerospace engineering student, received a scholarship from Cummins, Inc., as the sole NMSU student honored in 2023. At the conference's career and graduate school fair, NMSU students interviewed 50+ tech companies, including Google, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, enhancing their opportunities in the industry, according to a press release by NMSU.
Adan Delval spoke about his mission for the S-STEM program at NMSU. "We are committed to fostering a sense of inclusion, camaraderie and community for our students within the S-STEM scholarship program and computing disciplines," said Adan Delval, program manager who leads the S-STEM program at NMSU according to a press release by NMSU. "My primary objective is to mentor and guide them to successful graduation with their computing degrees. I am very dedicated to motivating S-STEM scholars to persist in their academic pursuits and pursue their professional passions. So for me it's about encouragement."
