APRIL 18, 2022 — UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy today announced the appointment of Araceli Martinez Ortiz as director of the Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP), effective June 1. Ortiz is the Microsoft President’s Endowed Professor and a professor of engineering education in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.
Ortiz is a nationally recognized leader in engineering education, with more than 15 years researching teaching and learning approaches that best support engagement in the discipline. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with whom she has worked extensively.
As program director of the Engineering Education program, a joint initiative between the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), Ortiz has work closely with current PREP director and associate professor Joel Alejandro (Alex) Mejia in mapping out a new vision for PREP in alignment with the university’s commitment to be a Hispanic Thriving University. Mejia will continue to support the program in an advisory role, leading the Faculty Advisory Council and assisting with curriculum development to meet modern standards and prepare future college students to succeed in their university studies and careers.