EDINBURG, Texas - STEM Nation 2026 Student Conference, held at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg on May 12, was a big success, say organizers.
More than 5,000 high school students from across the Rio Grande Valley attended. Speakers such as astronaut K. Megan McArthur of the Space Center Houston sought to encourage the students to pursue a career in STEM: science, technology, engineering and math.
The event was hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Philanthropic Foundation (RGVPF). Among the top sponsors were Rio Grande LNG, Lone Star National Bank, SpaceX, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Harvard MIT, Rice University, Space Center Houston, Bert Ogden Arena, and Texas Southmost College.
In addition to McArthur, the speakers included Harvard-MIT aeronautics and astronautics MD/PhD student Anna Wadhwa, Jillian Yuricich of SpaceX, Erin Woods and Gabriel Resendez of NextDecade, and Jim Blackburn of Rice University.
At the end of the program, the Rio Grande Guardian interviewed Wadhwa. Here is a video recording of the interview:
The Guardian also interviewed RGVPF board member Lizzy De La Garza Putegnat, and the group’s CEO Diane Milliken Garza.
Here is a video recording of the interview:
