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UTEP to offer AI degree; mayor, city rep runoffs are Saturday; giraffe, tiger say farewell to El Paso Zoo [1]
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Date: 2024-12-13
This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
UTEP to Offer Bachelor’s in Artificial Intelligence
The University of Texas at El Paso will offer a bachelor’s in artificial intelligence starting with the spring 2025 semester, which starts in January. The program will prepare students to design, test and maintain AI systems.
Salamah Salamah, chair of UTEP’s Department of Computer Science, said that program graduates will learn to apply AI, design novel AI techniques and recognize the social and ethical consequences of the technology.
“Our new degree program will equip UTEP students with cutting-edge knowledge in AI, as well as instill principles that can help them make the right decisions when confronted with the next generation of computing challenges,” Salamah said in a university announcement.
The program will be only the third AI bachelor’s degree offered in Texas, the announcement states.
University officials said that they understand that the artificial intelligence field will continue to evolve, and the program will keep pace. The program’s website states that participating students are eligible for multiple scholarship, research and professional development opportunities.
The need for software engineers, data scientists and AI researchers will grow from 17% to 36% through 2033 and the median annual pay ranges from $108,000 to $145,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Students can learn more about the program and apply here through the College of Engineering.
El Paso Mayor, City Rep Runoff Election is Saturday
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, for the city of El Paso runoff elections where voters will elect a new mayor and five city representatives.
Businessman Renard Johnson faces city Rep. Brian Kennedy for the mayoral seat, while the City Council seats for Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 are also on the ballot. The District 2 seat was decided in the Nov. 5 general election, while Districts 6 and 8 weren’t up for election this year.
Find your nearest voting location here; or visit My Voter Dashboard at the El Paso County Elections website for a sample ballot and voting locations.
You can vote in the runoff election even if you didn’t cast a ballot in November, and you don’t have to vote for the same candidate.
The elected mayor and council will take office in January.
Candidate information, election coverage and voting information: El Paso Matters Voter Guide.
Obi the Giraffe, Olan the Malayan Tiger Say Farewell to El Paso Zoo
At left, Obi, who is about 18 months old, was transferred to the Dallas Zoo on Thursday, Dec. 12. He was the first giraffe calf born at the El Paso Zoo to parents Gigi and Juma as part of a breeding program. (Courtesy El Paso Zoo)
Obi the giraffe and Olan the Malayan tiger have bid farewell to the El Paso Zoo as they head to other cities as part of global conservation efforts for endangered species under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan.
The plan focuses on managing animal populations to maintain genetic diversity and bolster the survival of critically endangered species through breeding programs, the zoo said in a news release.
Obi, who is about 18 months old, was transferred to the Dallas Zoo on Thursday. He was the first giraffe calf born at the El Paso Zoo to parents Gigi and Juma as part of the SSP breeding program.
Obi will now join a herd of five females to help bolster the giraffe population. Moving Obi before he is fully grown reduces stress and makes space for the next giraffe calf expected to arrive at the El Paso Zoo in January, the release states.
Olan, the El Paso Zoo’s 11-year-old Malayan tiger, was transferred to the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, Florida, in November. (Courtesy El Paso Zoo)
Olan, the 11-year-old Malayan tiger, was transferred to the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, Florida, last month. Olan was born at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and came to El Paso in 2019 to breed with the zoo’s 17-year-old tiger, Seri. Their pairing didn’t result in any offspring, the zoo said, adding that the move was meant to ensure Olan’s “valuable genetic contribution” to the endangered Malayan tiger population.
The number of Malayan tigers in the wild has plummeted from 500 in 2005 to fewer than 100, due to habitat loss, agricultural expansion, and poaching, the release states.
Turning the Tassel: Thousands to Graduate from El Paso Colleges
Several thousand higher education graduates and candidates will walk the stage during this 2024 winter commencement season.
El Paso Community College has added an extra winter ceremony this year. The college expects almost 2,100 of its summer graduates and winter graduation candidates to participate in the events at 9 a.m. and 1 and 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at the Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road.
The college announced that it made the change to address the larger number of graduation candidates, and to provide a shorter and smoother experience for participants and their loved ones.
Candidates at the morning ceremony will receive associate of science, associate of applied science and certificates of completion. Those at the afternoon event will accept associate of arts and associate of arts in teaching. The evening service will be for those who earned an associate of arts in multidisciplinary studies.
The day’s commencement speaker will be Debra Chromy, president and CEO of the Trellis Company, a Texas-based nonprofit that promotes access to higher education.
The University of Texas at El Paso will recognize 2,807 summer graduates and fall graduation candidates during four ceremonies at 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14 and 15, in the Haskins Center.
On Dec. 14, the afternoon event is for the colleges of Nursing and Health Sciences. The evening ceremony is for the College of Science, the School of Pharmacy and the Woody L. Hunt College of Business. On Dec. 15, the first celebration is for the College of Liberal Arts and the second is for the colleges of Education and Engineering.
Among the highlights will be the graduation of the first 36-member cohort from the Hunt College of Business’ Online MBA program, which launched in fall 2023. About 40% of the 311 graduates and candidates who will receive their bachelor’s degrees from the College of Engineering will be first-generation graduates. The College of Nursing will celebrate its largest group of graduates – 24 – from its Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Master of Science in Nursing program.
Texas Tech Health El Paso will recognize 65 summer graduates and fall graduation candidates from its Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the Starlight Event Center, 6650 Continental Drive. Among the graduates will be four alumni of El Paso’s Silva Magnet High School who are the first to be part of the BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) Pathway in conjunction with EPCC. Kristian Campa, Naomi Heier, Navely Sosa and Maria Zapata, who are members of the Class of 2023, enrolled in the Hunt School of Nursing that August and will earn their BSN by age 19.
Health Programs Get $13M from PDN Health Foundation, Mackenzie Scott
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes health and disease prevention in the region, has distributed $13 million of the $15 million gift it received from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott in November 2022. Scott, a billionaire, co-founded Amazon with ex-husband Jeff Bezos.
The nonprofit dispersed $3 million to improve services at the El Paso Center for Diabetes, $5 million to Texas Tech Health El Paso to recruit staff for the upcoming cancer center, $4.5 million to UTEP Health to increase the graduation of nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists, and half a million dollars to resources for the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces, which supports disconnected youth, according to a news release.
“Funds are being used to increase the number of faculty at UTEP, thus expanding the number of students that can graduate,” Ida Ortegon, spokesperson for the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, wrote in an email. “Also, the improved simulation lab and other teaching facilities will enable students to graduate more efficiently.”
The board has not decided how it will disperse the remaining $2 million in funds, Ortegon said.
Applications for Food Stories Institute Due Sunday
La Semilla Food Center, a farm and educational nonprofit that supports sustainable food systems in the Paso del Norte region, invites storytellers to its first Food Stories Institute. Program participants will receive a stipend of $1,200 to work on a piece that focuses on water sources and their intersection with food and farming in the Chihuahuan Desert. Storytellers can be journalists, writers, poets, photo essayists, videographers, podcasters and other narrative artists. To be eligible, applicants should be:
18 years old
Reside in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Las Cruces or the surrounding area
Have a minimum of two years of experience in their medium
Desiree Miller shares her knowledge of food systems in the border region at La Semilla Farm in Anthony, New Mexico. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
The Food Stories Institute takes place Feb. 8 to April 30 and will feature workshops on food histories, meetups with local growers and hands-on sessions with La Semilla Food Center. Applicants will receive meals on workshop days. Pieces may be developed in English, Spanish or Spanglish. Applications are due Sunday, Dec. 15.
Information:lasemillafoodcenter.org/about/join-our-team/
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