Posted on February 28, 2022
Going Green For Engineers: Local Partners Celebrate National Engineers Week
Going Green For Engineers: Local Partners Celebrate National Engineers Week
Celebration culminates with El Paso County Resolution
EL PASO, TX – El Paso Electric (EPE), the Texas Department of Transportation El Paso District (TxDOT), The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) College of Engineering, and Mija! Yes You Can. joined forces to celebrate the hard work, innovation, and achievements by engineers throughout the region and across the country. This year’s celebration wraps up with an El Paso County Commissioners Court Resolution honoring local engineers.
National Engineers Week for 2022 was celebrated from February 20th thru the 26th. The week-long celebration honors the achievements and contributions to modern society made by engineers.
“The opportunity to celebrate National Engineers Week with our partners at El Paso Electric, UTEP and Mija! Yes You Can. is a small way of showing we appreciation to all engineers who move our region forward and help inspire future engineers,” shares TxDOT El Paso District Engineer Tomas Trevino, P.E. “This year’s theme – Reimagining the Possible – captures the spirit of our community and how the work of our engineers will help build our future.”
This year’s celebration included a variety of events including the lighting of Downtown at I-10 Light Arches and Airway Boulevard Wind Turbines to green – the color of the engineer and a hybrid career panel featuring female engineers for Girl Day, an event done in partnership with Mija! Yes You Can. to introduce young girls to engineering.
“Whereas the field of engineering is always evolving one thing has been fairly constant – it has become known as a male-dominated field, so we want to encourage young women, especially Latinas, can also become engineers as well,” states Mija! Yes You Can. Executive Director Iris Lopez. “Through our local partnerships, we get to highlight our Latina, female engineers who have built careers in this field whether across the country or right here in our borderland.”
The week wrapped up with El Paso County Commissioners Court proclaiming a resolution honoring National Engineers Week.
“As one of the larger employers in the southwest, we are proud to train, mentor, and hire local talent, with a variety of opportunities in engineering,” states El Paso Electric Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Omar Gallegos. “Our ability to provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy depends on the creativity, innovation, and hard work of engineers across a variety of disciplines – from chemical and electrical engineering to civil and mechanical engineering, and everything in between.”
Other areas of recognition included spotlights on engineers from each organization via social media, a podcast released by El Paso Electric, and a virtual City of El Paso proclamation with a message from Sun City Mayor Oscar Leeser.
“The year’s celebration of E-Week reached over 500 middle and high school students with the help of countless numbers of volunteers,” states UTEP College of Engineering Assistant Dean for Student Success Gabby Gándara. “This week mirrors what the College of Engineering has led for over 35 years yet our work to connect our community to the engineering and computing professions is far from done. Our relationships with schools, teacher and students will continue to power E-Week in the future.
About TxDOT of El Paso
The El Paso District plans, designs, builds, operates and maintains the state transportation system in the following counties: Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio. TxDOT's workforce is made up of engineers, administrators, financial experts, designers, architects, sign makers, accountants, purchasers, maintenance workers, travel counselors and many other professions who work together to realize the TxDOT mission: Connecting you with Texas.
About Mija! Yes You Can.
Mija, Yes You Can. is a non-profit organization that aims at uniting, encouraging, and reminding women and young girls that an equal world is possible. The organization provides resources and education to women and girls in order to help them achieve their ambitions in life. Mija! Yes You Can is able to achieve this empowerment by focusing on its main pillars: Education, Wellness, Mentorship, Development and Philanthropy.
About El Paso Electric
El Paso Electric is a regional electric utility providing generation, transmission, and distribution service to approximately 450,000 retail and wholesale customers in a 10,000-square mile area of the Rio Grande valley in west Texas and southern New Mexico.
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