Del Valle HS assistant principal chosen as DoD STEM Ambassador
According to Ysleta ISD, Ramon Benavides was named a DoD STEM Ambassador and is among only 30 ambassadors nationwide.
'As an administrator, this role gives me the unique opportunity to represent Del Valle HighSchool and Ysleta ISD on a national level. Most importantly, it enables me to continue bringing new and transformative opportunities to our students, helping them access pathways to success in STEM fields and beyond,' Benavides said.
According to YISD, the DoD STEM Ambassador program is a collaborative partnership between academia, industry, nonprofit groups and government that aims to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse and agile workforce.
The selection was a 'rigorous, highly competitive selection process that emphasized a nominee's ability to inspire, lead and advocate for STEM opportunities,' according to the school district.
According to the school district, Benavides' duties as a DoD STEM Ambassador include:
Help develop and execute a project to address STEM challenges and provide meaningful STEM experiences to military-connected and/or underrepresented students
Author guest blog posts
Support national presentations to share best practices in STEM and DoD STEM resources, among others
'I am deeply grateful for the support and encouragement from our campus and districtleadership, as they have been instrumental in this achievement,' Benavides said.
Prior to being an administrator, Benavides was a science teacher at Del Valle High School and was named 2022 Texas Teacher of the Year, according to Ysleta ISD.
In addition, YISD said Benavides also worked on programs and initiatives at the high school and district-wide to 'elevate science and STEM.'
According to the school district, Benavides is the son of migrant farmworkers who dropped out of school at a young age.
Benavides holds a bachelor's degree from both the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas at Brownsville, a master's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and a doctorate from Texas Tech University.
'Benavides has been published in various publications and participated in several state/national professional organizations, as well as research internships with Rice University and UTEP. He serves as a national STEM advocate for The Society for Science and the Public, advocating for changes in the classroom that ensure underrepresented students attain a fair chance at success in STEM professions,' YISD said in the news release.
For more information about the STEM Ambassador program, you can visit the Department of Defense STEM website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Californians Say AI Is Moving 'Too Fast'
The liquid cooling system at Equinix Data Center in Ashburn, Virginia, on May 9, 2024 Credit - Amanda Andrade-Rhoades—TheHello and welcome to the Tuesday edition of In the Loop. I'm writing to you while looking out over the sunny city of San Francisco, where I'm spending the week on a reporting trip. If you're working on something cool here and want to say hi, feel free to shoot me an email at What to Know: Californians are fearful of AI Californians are more concerned than excited about the future of AI, by a margin of 55% to 33%, according to new polling shared exclusively with TIME ahead of its publication this Tuesday. Of the 1,400 adults polled, 48% said the technology was progressing 'too fast,' compared to 32% who said the pace was 'about right' and just 4% who said it was 'too slow.' And 59% of respondents said they believed AI would benefit the wealthiest corporations and households most, compared to 20% who said it would most benefit working people and the middle class. The poll was funded by TechEquity, a progressive non-profit. Support for regulation — The new data shows that 70% of Californians believe in the need for 'strong laws to make AI fair.' But the data also reveals high levels of skepticism that those laws will ever be enacted. 59% of those surveyed say they don't trust the California state government to control AI. Even more — 64% — said they do not trust the federal government. A picture emerges — The poll adds to a growing collection of data from around the world suggesting that ordinary people are worried about the impact of AI on their lives. In January, I wrote about a U.K. poll that showed 60% of Brits favoring a ban on the development of 'smarter-than-human' AI models. And in April, the Pew Research Center found that 43% of U.S. adults believed AI was more likely to harm than benefit them, compared to 24% who expected the benefits to outweigh the harms. Ground zero — California is emerging as a key battleground for efforts to legislate on AI, as the state where most top American AI companies are based. Last year a bill that aimed to regulate so-called 'frontier' models cleared the state legislature, only to be vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. That hasn't stopped other efforts to regulate AI in the state, however. California 'is a place where you can still legislate and govern with a semi-functioning legislative process, which is not something you can say about D.C., particularly on this topic,' says Catherine Bracy, the CEO of TechEquity. 'The federal government has made it clear that they are going to be completely hands-off, if not creating rules that unleash the industry even more,' Bracy says. '[So] it is incumbent on the states to pick up the slack and make sure that real people who are going to be impacted by these tools are protected.' Who to Know: Dean Ball, former White House advisor on AI For a stint in office, it was an unusually impactful one. Dean Ball joined the Trump Administration in April—headhunted based on an essay he had written titled 'Here is what I think we should do' about AI policy. What followed was a whirlwind five months in government, in which he played a key role contributing to the AI Action Plan, Trump's AI policy, which was announced in July. Earlier this month, Ball announced he was leaving the government to focus on his own research. Action planning — Trump's Action Plan won praise for its emphasis on bolstering U.S. energy grid capacity, plus onshoring datacenters and the production of the chips that power them. The document also urged U.S. companies to focus more on developing open-weight AI models, to prevent the world from coming to rely on Chinese models (which are currently the best in class). The document framed these recommendations, and more, in terms of the escalating AI race with China. Exit interview — In an interview with TIME, Ball emphasized the importance of AI to the Trump administration. 'AI is the President's number one technology policy priority, by a significant margin,' he said. At the same time, Ball says, there is a lot of skepticism inside the Administration toward AI industry projections that superintelligent machines are some two to five years away. 'The diffusion of AI is going to take a really long time,' Ball says. 'I've lived through technology revolutions before, where I was young and bright-eyed and thought it was all going to happen in two or three years. And it turns out a lot of it did happen, but it took 15.' AI in Action: Should you delete your old emails to save water? An official U.K. government document, published last week, has caught a lot of heat online for suggesting that users should 'delete old emails and pictures' to save water during a drought, because data centers 'require vast amounts of water to cool their systems.' It is true that many data centers use water for cooling, but let's get a sense of perspective here. Andy Masley, a blogger who has written several illuminating pieces about the energy and water expenditure of AI systems, ran the numbers. Fixing a leaking toilet, he wrote, can save 200-400 liters of water per day. 'To save as much water in data centers as fixing your toilet would save, you would need to delete 1.5 billion photos, or 200 billion emails. If it took you 0.1 seconds to delete each email, and you deleted them nonstop for 16 hours a day, it would take you 723 years to delete enough emails to save the same amount of water in data centers as you could if you fixed your toilet. Maybe you should fix your toilet.' As always, if you have an interesting story of AI in Action, we'd love to hear it. Email us at: intheloop@ What We're Reading 'Meta's flirty AI chatbot invited a retiree to New York. He never made it home' by Jeff Horwitz in Reuters A relentlessly bleak story from Jeff Horwitz, the best Meta reporter in the business. 'Bue's story, told here for the first time, illustrates a darker side of the artificial intelligence revolution now sweeping tech and the broader business world. His family shared with Reuters the events surrounding his death, including transcripts of his chats with the Meta avatar, saying they hope to warn the public about the dangers of exposing vulnerable people to manipulative, AI-generated companions.' Write to Billy Perrigo at
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Digital Science's 2025 Catalyst Grant seeking innovations to 'see the future' with data visualization
Teams working at intersection of science, design and data could win up to £25,000 for new tech ideas LONDON, Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, today launches its Catalyst Grant round for 2025 to support innovative tech ideas. Now in its 15th year, the theme for Digital Science's 2025 Catalyst Grant is: Data visualization. Up to £25,000 will be awarded to individuals or startups for their technology-driven ideas. The deadline to apply is Monday 6 October 2025. Steve Scott, Director of Portfolio Development at Digital Science, said: 'With the rapid growth of AI, data science, and open research, visualization is emerging as a vital tool to aid research impact. In today's data-rich, attention-poor world, how we understand and communicate data is just as important as what the data says. 'This year, the Digital Science Catalyst Grant challenges innovators to push the boundaries of data visualization, not just as a communication tool, but as a driver for prediction, insight, and action. 'We want to 'see the future' through data; we want visualizations to be used as a process for discovery. To do this, we're looking for game-changers who are turning raw data into intuitive stories, elegant dashboards, and predictive visuals that empower researchers, institutions, funders, and decision-makers alike.' About Catalyst Grant The Digital Science Catalyst Grant is an international initiative to support innovation in new software tools and technologies, to advance research and create meaningful change. The program supports and invests in early-stage ideas in the novel use of technology, with an award of up to £25,000 for the most promising ideas that aid research and further its impact on society. The Catalyst Grant is awarded to innovative individuals or startups without the need for a complete business or development plan. Several previous Catalyst Grant winners have developed important products and solutions within Digital Science itself. Data Visualization – the 2025 Catalyst Grant focus For Catalyst Grant 2025, Digital Science is looking for novel applications of data visualization technology that can benefit any aspect of the research ecosystem and lifecycle, and any stakeholders Digital Science serves. These include: researchers, universities, funders, industry, and publishers. We're seeking tools and technologies that: Model complex data to uncover hidden patterns, trends and predictive insights Use advanced technologies, including AI and machine learning, to uncover patterns that traditional analysis might miss Visualize high-dimensional data to improve understanding and support better decision-making Deliver intuitive web and mobile-first solutions for scientific storytelling or discovery, reducing time-to-insight Create a unique user interface (UI) or user experience (UX) for dashboards, lab tools, or clinical data systems Enable interactive exploration of real-world evidence Apply for the Digital Science Catalyst Grant The Digital Science Catalyst Grant is now open for entries. Key details: Visit the Digital Science Catalyst Grant website for full eligibility criteria and how to apply Open globally to individuals and startups with early-stage technology ideas Questions about the Catalyst Grant to be directed to: catalyst@ Deadline: 12pm BST / 7am EDT, Monday 6 October 2025. Find out more about Catalyst Grant. Join the conversation on social media with: #CatalystGrant About Digital Science Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, funders, industry and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, metaphacts, OntoChem, Overleaf, ReadCube, Symplectic, and Writefull – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit and follow Digital Science on Bluesky, on X or on LinkedIn. CONTACT: Media contact David Ellis, Press, PR & Social Manager, Digital Science: Mobile +61 447 783 023,
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
World's first robot ‘could give birth to human baby'
The world's first humanoid robot surrogate could give birth to a live baby, scientists have claimed. Experts are developing technology that will mimic a pregnancy from conception to delivery, with the infant growing inside an artificial womb and receiving nutrients through a tube. After nine months, a live baby will be born, according to Dr Zhang Qifeng, who founded the company Kaiwa Technology, in the city of Guangzhou. Dr Zhang, a PHD graduate from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has claimed the technology is already in a 'mature stage'. He added: 'Now it needs to be implanted in the robot's abdomen so that a real person and the robot can interact to achieve pregnancy, allowing the fetus to grow inside'. A prototype of the humanoid is set to be sold for around £10,000 (100,000 yuan) next year. Reports in the Chinese media said that the humanoid has been designed to mimic the entire process of pregnancy, from the moment of conception to birth. However, the specifics on exactly how the egg and sperm are fertilised are currently unclear. For the entire gestation period, the infant will live inside the robot's body, although experts have not yet stated how the foetus will be implanted in the tech womb. The developing babies will be surrounded by artificial amniotic fluid to create a womb-like environment. Dr Zhang said the technology is not an entirely new concept, as scientists in the past have successfully kept premature lambs alive inside a 'biobag' for weeks. The innovation has already prompted a legal and ethical debate. Dr Zhang said he had already been in talks with Guangdong Province authorities to prepare drafts for policy and legislation. If successful, the science could revolutionise medical science and our notions of family and fertility. The humanoid could be seen as a tool to tackle rising rates of infertility in China, which has gone up from 11.9 per cent in 2007 to 18 per cent in 2020. 'Problematic' technology But some critics have condemned the 'problematic' technology, arguing that depriving a foetus of maternal connection is unethical and cruel. Chinese News outlet The Standard reported that some medical experts are sceptical over the technology's ability to replicate human gestation. The experts have allegedly stated that complex biological processes, such as maternal hormone secretion, cannot be duplicated by science. Andrea Dworkin, the radical feminist writer, has previously hit out at artificial womb technology for fears that it would result in 'the end of women'. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia published an article in 2022 in which they said that such technology might 'pathologise' pregnancy. However, some argue that artificial wombs could liberate women from pregnancy risks so that they would no longer have to endure the physical burden of carrying a baby.
