News Release

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January 12, 2006

Team From Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at Boise State Places Second in National Academic Olympiad

Student organization also named National Small Chapter of Year at national SHPE convention

A team from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers student chapter at Boise State University placed second behind Cornell University in a national Academic Olympiad held recently in Orlando, Fla.

The Boise State team beat out teams from the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Florida and Rice University in the national competition. The Jeopardy-like contest involved answering questions from the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.

Boise State�s student chapter also was named National Small Outstanding Chapter of the Year at the national SHPE convention. Competing against SHPE student chapters of all sizes at universities in a 10-state region, the Boise State chapter took top honors as Regional Outstanding Chapter of the Year.

�We are very pleased and excited to have received this national recognition for Boise State University,� said Dave Estrada, a junior majoring in electrical and computer engineering from Nampa who is president of the SHPE student chapter at Boise State. �As a chapter, we hope to build on these successes during the upcoming semester to provide outreach efforts to young people in the Treasure Valley and to support students here on campus.�

Boise State students who competed in the national Academic Olympiad included Heraclio Jaquez, a senior majoring in computer information systems from Rupert, J. Arturo Garcia, a senior majoring in electrical engineering major from Emmett, and Antonio Oblea, a junior majoring in mathematics and electrical engineering from Pocatello. Team alternate was Alba Trejo, a sophomore majoring in respiratory therapy from Idaho Falls.

Teamwork and many hours of preparation helped the Boise State team excel in the national competition, Garcia said. After winning a regional Academic Olympiad in October, the four Boise State students began meeting twice weekly to study questions and prepare for the national contest. �All the practice really helped,� Garcia said. �We knew how to work as a team.�

Team members each received $750 for their second-place win and the Boise State chapter received $1,800 and several other cash awards. According to Estrada, the student chapter will discuss ways to use the money to partner with national minority associations to provide more opportunities for Boise State students.

The national and regional chapter awards for Boise State were based on the chapter�s accomplishments during the 2004-2005 academic, according to past SHPE president Antonina Robles, a junior majoring in computer information systems from Caldwell. �In order to be considered for this award, the chapter submitted a 50-page end-of-year report. I feel very proud of our chapter. We definitely work really hard to deserve these awards,� said Robles, who now represents Boise State as the student representative for the 10-state Region III that includes 18 SHPE chapters.

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at Boise State promotes the development of minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to achieve educational excellence, economic opportunity and social equality. Last year, the university�s SHPE chapter was recognized as Boise State�s outstanding student organization from among more than 180 student organizations.

In addition to honors received at the national convention, Boise State�s SHPE chapter recently received a $4,000 grant from the national SHPE organization as part of an Advancing Careers in Engineering program. According to Estrada, the chapter plans to use the funds to provide transportation for junior- and senior-high students in Nampa and Caldwell to attend Family Engineering Day at Boise State on Feb. 4.


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Contact: Dave Estrada, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers president, (208) 860-6035, daveestrada@mail.boisestate.edu 
Antonina Robles, past SHPE president, (208) 250-1349, antonina19@yahoo.com
Media Contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.


 

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007