When panel moderator Ida Acuña Garza, executive director of the South Texas Literacy Coalition, asked the audience at Librarians and Educators Day March 22 at the 2013 Festival of International Books and Arts (FESTIBA) how many knew someone with diabetes, all the hands in the room flew up.

The search for extraterrestrial life or the next "E.T." was the focus of just one presentation during the College of Science and Mathematics Symposium held at The University of Texas-Pan American Sept. 24-27 during the recent 2012 Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) conference.

Knocking all the required blocks off an obstacle course with more than a minute to spare with its robot "Nano Doctor," the Veterans Middle School team from Rio Grande City secured its place as champion of the 2012 Robotics Day at The University of Texas-Pan American Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) conference.

South Texas mothers and their daughters mustered up the imagination and resourcefulness that engineers need when they joined forces to assemble a marshmallow tower during a day committed to promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers to women.

About 400 teachers from middle schools throughout South Texas were encouraged to ignite interest in science and math in their students during The University of Texas-Pan American's Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) week during Educator Day Monday, Sept. 24. 2012