{"id":1413,"date":"2015-11-10T12:19:45","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T17:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mynavigatornews.com\/?p=1413"},"modified":"2019-12-11T23:16:04","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T04:16:04","slug":"stem-a-growing-section-of-the-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=1413","title":{"rendered":"STEM: A Blossoming Section of the University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garrett Griffin<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The STEM section of Texas A&M Texarkana resides\u00a0in the building on the left.<\/p><\/div>\n

The largest growing sector in industry and jobs continues to be in the areas of science and engineering. As a result of foresight and good planning, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -STEM- College has been\u00a0an integral part of Texas A&M University at Texarkana since .<\/p>\n

Developing connections with external organizations and industries, the university has developed partnerships that could result in grants and research opportunities at the university in the future.<\/p>\n

One of the newest additions to the university has been Dr. Donald Peterson, the Dean of the STEM College at Texas A&M University at Texarkana. Since Dr. Peterson has had many different experiences and connections with industries developed over his many years as a distinguished professor and researcher, Dr. Peterson has become a great asset to the university. Such connections have spawned partnerships such as the university’s relationship with NASA.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>

Dr. Donald Peterson – The Dean of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics College at Texas A&M University – Texarkana. Image Courtesy of Texas A&M University – Texarkana<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Peterson’s connections with NASA include his work on the Mach 5 spacesuit that was in development for future missions to Mars. His work made use of his background in biomedical engineering to develop better mobility in the arm joint-connections on the space suit, which until then had remained one of the most restricting aspects of a spacesuit.<\/p>\n

Although the plans for a mission to Mars that required the research into the suit were dumped due to a reassignment of funding and cuts to government monies, the experience Dr. Peterson received have been\u00a0valuable to the university and its interests in growing connections with external entities.<\/p>\n

In addition to that, he also helped develop\u00a0tools\u00a0used in space by researching and engineering them with a focus on\u00a0improving the ergonomics of the implements.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The University has started a partnership with NASA. (Photo by Neilson Barnard\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Peterson has had many years experience in the field of biomedical engineering, a field of engineering not too familiar to students attending college in the local area.\u00a0 This is something that he hopes to change in the future. When asked about why he, Dr. Peterson, came to this university after many years of work in the Northeast, he had one thing to say: “Potential.”<\/p>\n

The way Dr. Peterson sees it, the area of northeast Texas is prime\u00a0for the development of medical research facilities and other biomedical and medical-related industries. This is due in part to its proximity to other hotspots of similar activity and a lack of other competing industries. It also helps that the potential exists for numerous interstates being\u00a0developed in the area.<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, and at the bigger picture, Dr. Peterson sees the potential for the university if it were to expand its areas of studies in the medical and biomedical fields. He expresses the hope for this expansion but has not set it as a goal because of the size of the prospect.<\/p>\n

In his own experience, Dr. Peterson has seen the potential that a person who has knowledge in both engineering and medical science offers to the workplace since many industries put great importance on people with that \u00a0specific skill set. Dr. Peterson sees the future being in multi-disciplinary students who have superior abilities to innovate and solve problems across science, not just in one specific area. He said it himself, “it’s the wave of the future.”<\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/a>

Inside the STEM Innovations Lab at Texas A&M University – Texarkana.
Image Courtesy of the Texarkana Gazette.<\/p><\/div>\n

One way by which Dr. Peterson has aided in this evolutionary process of curricula is by adding\u00a0the STEM Innovations Lab. This cross-disciplinary establishment fosters innovation.\u00a0The lab is open to anyone, from people who want to enrich their studies and college experience to those who just want to have fun building and creating things.<\/p>\n

The lab recently acquired two plastic 3-D printers through a grant that are able to print parts on demand from online databases or from files designed and engineered by students or professors.<\/p>\n

There are also prototyping facilities for electrical engineers including bread-boards and computer-based sensing technologies. The computer interfaces for the electrical prototyping also leads into opportunities for computer science majors and their code-writing skills.<\/p>\n

Another section of the lab is devoted to biomedical engineering research into the ergonomics of surgical instrumentation and tools. By utilizing a Microsoft Xbox Kinect, along with special software, the shape of a surgeon’s hands can be converted into a three-dimensional file which is analyzed to produce adapters for tools to provide a better fit for their hand.<\/p>\n

The many aspects of the STEM College and its contributions\u00a0the university are an under-appreciated section\u00a0of the university. By increasing the program’s visibility, Dr. Peterson hopes to make the University, and STEM sections in particular, more appealing to both the public and prospective students. By focusing on STEM, the university is making an investment in not just the University, but the area of greater Texarkana. What the future holds for the Texarkana area and its locations of higher learning, who knows?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Garrett Griffin The largest growing sector in industry and jobs continues to be in the areas of science and engineering. As a result of foresight and good planning, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -STEM- College has been\u00a0an integral part … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[346],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3odG9-mN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7288,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=7288","url_meta":{"origin":1413,"position":0},"title":"Groundbreaking for New TAMUT Building","author":"Angel Mendoza","date":"April 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Texarkana is set to witness a significant leap in higher education as Texas A&M University-Texarkana prepares to construct the new Business, Engineering, and Technology Building. This state-of-the-art facility, named in honor of James C. Morriss, founder of JCM Industries, promises to transform the university and the surrounding community. The groundbreaking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A&M"","block_context":{"text":"A&M","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?cat=311"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1337,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=1337","url_meta":{"origin":1413,"position":1},"title":"FEATURE: “There’s Value in Giving.”","author":"Garrett Griffin","date":"September 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Garrett Griffin Walking into her office I immediately see several things that show\u00a0pride and collegiate association,\u00a0a rubber pig that is black-and-yellow striped, a small bee figurine and a diploma on the wall that reads \u201cMaster of Science\u201d from Texas A&M \u2013 Texarkana. The little lady in a white lab-coat greeted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?cat=208"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mynavigatornews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TMHC-31-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7092,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=7092","url_meta":{"origin":1413,"position":2},"title":"Remembering Dr. David Allard","author":"Justin Williams","date":"December 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. David Wayne Allard, an educator in the Texarkana community, passed away at the age of seventy-five on November 24, 2023. He was born on September 23, 1948, in El Paso, Texas, to Wayne and Jesse Allard. Dr. Allard grew up in Dawson, Texas, where his father produced the weekly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Uncategorized"","block_context":{"text":"Uncategorized","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?cat=141"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6965,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=6965","url_meta":{"origin":1413,"position":3},"title":"Dr. Ross Alexander: New TAMUT President","author":"George Sawyer","date":"October 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"New majors, new sports, and new buildings will all come from the guidance of Dr. Ross Alexander. Dr. Ross Alexander is the new President of Texas A&M University-Texarkana. He has an esteemed resume in higher education and doesn\u2019t seem to be slowing down. TAMUT is changing now and for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Uncategorized"","block_context":{"text":"Uncategorized","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?cat=141"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1514,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=1514","url_meta":{"origin":1413,"position":4},"title":"Eagle Open House","author":"Jamie Williamson","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Jamie Williamson High school seniors from around the Ark-La-Tex came, saw, and conquered open house on Saturday October 10, 2015. Texas A&M University-Texarkana held an open house to show upcoming students why Texas A&M University-Texarkana is the best school to further their education. 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