This award is New Mexico State University to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-04556).
Partners The partners include New Mexico State University (Lead Institution), New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT), ,Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez (UACJ), Tecnologico de Monterrey-Chihuahua (ITESM), the Chihuahua Trade Office (CTO), the New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD), Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories (LANL and SNL), the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), the Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados (CIMAV), Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Desarollo (CIAD), Asociacion de la Industria Maquiladora de Chihuahua (Maquiladora Industry Association of Chihuahua, Centro de Desarrollo de Proveedores, Chihuahua Trade Office, Colegio de Ingenieros Mecanicos y Electricistas de Chihuahua, High Tech Consortium, LaSys Inc., Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, and Technology Ventures Corporation.
The primary objective is to develop an interdisciplinary, multi-faceted approach to educating emerging scientists and technology managers in technology development, commercialization of research, and marketing. This proposed project is unique and original that it focuses on minority students, especially Hispanic, Latino and Native American, to become involved in creating technology that is beneficial to the New Mexico-Chihuahua border region, which has a very high poverty rate. These students will make up design teams that will complete the testing phase of technology development, using the laboratories and facilities of partner organizations as feasible and they will enter in regional competitions to expose their concepts to a broader audience. The students will also intern to gain firsthand knowledge of the problems their host organizations are attempting to solve, and will also serve as communication channels between the firms/organizations where they are offered internships and the university/laboratory partners.
Potential Economic Impact The effort focuses on minority students, especially Hispanic, Latino and Native American, to become involved in creating technology that is beneficial to the New Mexico-Chihuahua border region, which has a very high poverty rate.
The intellectual merit of the project is the advancement of scientific knowledge and collaboration in technology transfer in a region seeking greater economic development and struggling to mitigate the artificial barriers to coordination of efforts created by a bi-national border. The project will contribute to understanding of the special challenges to international collaboration and possible solutions/best practices. The project will also facilitate research on the technology commercialization process. More needs to be known about the effectiveness of market strategies, incentive structures, and strategic alliances that already exist. Such research will be carried out in collaboration with the small businesses and student/faculty teams that are partners in the proposed project.
The broader impacts of the activity concentrate on serving underrepresented groups and making a huge impact in New Mexico and Chihuahua if successful. This project has the potential for stimulating the depressed economies on both sides of the border. The proposal has high possibility for success for underrepresented groups and all institutions and organizations involved.
