Araceli Martinez-Ortiz named NASA minority serving institution fellow

Staff Reports

SAN MARCOS – Araceli Martinez-Ortiz, a research associate professor of engineering education in the College of Education at Texas State University, has been named a Minority Serving Institution Fellow by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Office of STEM Engagement.

Ortiz will serve a two-year term in the fellowship, which will focus on helping NASA create unique opportunities for students and the public to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration and discovery; build a diverse future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)  workforce by engaging students in authentic learning experiences with NASA people, content and facilities; and strengthen public understanding by enabling powerful connections to NASA’s mission and work.

“I’m pleased to be able to do this work with NASA,” Ortiz said. “My role will be to advise in strategies and best practices for broadening participation of students and faculty in NASA programming from the office of STEM engagement. I’m very excited to take my preparation as an engineering educator and my experience in managing many programs and contribute my knowledge.”

NASA’s STEM Engagement community works in close collaboration with NASA’s STEM workforce to provide exceptional experiences for students, and with NASA’s public engagement workforce to leverage opportunities for reaching students. NASA is committed to finding innovative ways to deliver content and engage students in STEM learning.