STEM talent is promoted among high school students in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, NM – This summer, high school students from the Las Cruces area had the opportunity to attend an interactive artificial intelligence camp at New Mexico State University (NMSU).

Trenchant Analytics, based in Great Falls, Virginia, and the NMSU Physical Sciences Laboratory partnered to design and deliver STEMx, a hands-on AI summer camp, June 12-23.

STEMx at NMSU is a collaboration with NMSU’s STEM Outreach Center, PSL’s Division of Information Sciences and Security Systems, and the university’s Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Five students from Las Cruces Public School District and Gadsden Independent School District were selected to participate in the STEMx pilot program.

The program will culminate on Friday, June 23, with a student showcase highlighting the students’ progress on applied projects in computer science and engineering. The closing ceremony will feature a special appearance by New Mexico Secretary of Education Arsenio Romero, a former NMSU regent.

During the camp, STEMx students learned about coding, gained hands-on experience working on projects that introduced them to computer science and electrical engineering to include the topics of AI and software-defined radio.

In addition, students learned about various NMSU engineering and computer science facilities and programs, such as the Aggie Innovation Space and the Telemetry and Missile Systems Division of the Physical Sciences Laboratory. STEMx students also heard from several guest speakers from the region with careers in applied engineering, computer science and defense.

“PSL is pleased to host STEMx at NMSU this summer. The organization of this camp was a collaboration between Trenchant Analytics, NMSU STEM Outreach Center, PSL and NMSU Electrical Engineering. Stephen Moreno, software developer at PSL, and Dr. Stephen Sandoval, professor of Electrical Engineering at NMSU, have organized an incredible two-week educational and interactive program,” said Sanchez.

Trenchant Analytics and PSL are participating in the Department of Defense’s Defense Civilian Workforce Pipeline initiative through the Chief Digital AI Office, or CDAO. 

Trenchant Analytics President John Ferry said that this summer, NMSU joins George Mason University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Florida State University-Panama City, Miami EdTech and East Carolina University as STEMx hosts.

“Participating students will interact with peers and coaches to work through challenges and get immediate feedback and will be on a fast track to rewarding careers in STEM,” Ferry said.