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Community Day to offer variety of events, Oct. 1
By Melissa Rodriguez, Public Affairs Specialist
381-7192
Posted: 09/23/2005
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Families throughout the Rio Grande Valley will have the opportunity to learn about careers in science, engineering, math and technology, visit interactive, hands-on exhibits and hear from actor Cheech Marin during The University of Texas-Pan American's Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) Week’s Community Day Oct. 1.

Community Day – which is free and open to the public from 4-10 p.m. – is expected to bring thousands of people to the University for an afternoon filled with family fun, food and education.


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– Cheech Marin
Marin, actor, director, writer, art collector and humanitarian, will talk one-on-one with the crowd at 7:30 p.m. about his renowned career as well as his Chicano art collection, which is one of the world’s largest and has been displayed in the Smithsonian.

The sounds of Latin Grammy-nominated, regional group Volumen X will fill the main stage at the Quad at 5 p.m. while Latin Grammy-nominated Elefante, will also perform an energizing concert at 6 p.m. Additionally, three-time Grammy award winner, Vikki Carr, will take the main stage in the Quad at 9 p.m. and dazzle the audience with an extraordinary closing concert.

Chief design engineer for the 2005 Ford GT, Camilo Pardo, will attend Community Day for the first time to sign autographs and greet car enthusiasts. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see a sneak preview of new vehicle prototypes by Ford Motor Company.

The community is also invited to catch a glimpse of Boeing’s visual exhibit featuring model airplanes and space stations and NASA’s premiere of an interactive booth where participants can meet astronauts, get autographs and hear about their careers while viewing spectacular lunar and Mars displays.

Attendees are also invited to informative 20-minute bilingual Pláticas sessions, which will explain the importance of careers in math, science, technology and engineering and encourage families to support children by helping them gain the confidence to pursue a college education and careers in those fields.


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– Elefante
Spectators will also have the chance to tour the science, engineering and education buildings while learning about current experiments and projects by UTPA students and faculty. Community Day will also feature booths with information about applying to college, UTPA’s admission requirements, and scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Book and art lovers of all ages will enjoy a preview booth of the Festival of International Books and Arts (FESTIBA), which will feature books from literary giants throughout the world, games and educational materials for sale.


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– Vikki Carr
Marjorie Agosin, human rights activist and author, will host a lecture at the Student Union at 4 p.m. and will be available to sign autographs. John J. Mora, author of “Through my Eyes: A Retrospective,” – a compilation of personal stories about his life – will read excerpts from his books and sign autographs.

Additionally, Chicano artist Simón Silva will showcase his artworks and talk to the public. The booth will serve as an introduction to the larger FESTIBA street fair March 10-11, 2006, which focuses on increasing literacy and the joy of reading among Valley residents.

“If we are to catch up to the country and the world in the fields of math, science and technology we have to capture the imagination of the entire family and the entire community,” UTPA President Dr. Blandina Cárdenas said. “I welcome the participation of everyone in the Rio Grande Valley regardless of ethnicity or whether you have school-age children or not.”

For more information about HESTEC’s 2005 Community Day, contact 956/381-3361.