SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 — When Joey Mukherjee ’95 enrolled in UTSA’s undergraduate computer science program in 1990, he recognized the university’s high-quality education. UTSA, ahead of its time, had identified that computer science was slated to be the next in-demand industry, and its growing program was on the rise.
Immediately following Mukherjee’s graduation from UTSA, he was offered a position at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®) in San Antonio. He now works primarily in space research doing data analysis. He’s worked on projects such as New Horizons, which flew by Pluto in 2015, and Juno, which passed by Jupiter in 2016, and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission going to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, in October of 2024.
Mukherjee has worked for SwRI for 29 years and serves as an institute computer scientist, SwRI’s senior-most position for computer scientists.
Joey Mukherjee“I’ve been using much of my degree as part of my job on a daily basis,” Mukherjee said. “I write software for the web, desktop and server to help scientists do better space research. In a nutshell, there are many satellites launched into space for doing research into ‘something.’ In some cases, we send satellites to other planets or moons, and in others they orbit Earth looking at something. They all return back data of some sort.”
Mukherjee plays an instrumental role in retrieving and deciphering data for scientists to analyze. Working closely with engineers and space researchers, the UTSA alumnus translates the data into useful information. Additionally, he develops websites to help scientists plan points of exploration for satellites.
Since Mukherjee’s time as an undergraduate at UTSA, his major has become one of UTSA’s most popular degree programs. Preliminary data shows UTSA attracting 3,971 undergraduate students alone to computer science and cybersecurity this fall.
Other top programs prepare students for careers in health and bioscience, financial services, manufacturing and aerospace, and the public sector and government.
As UTSA grows, it’s intentionally building degree programs to help meet Texas’s projected workforce needs.
Preliminary data this fall 2024 also reveals that biology and psychology top UTSA’s most popular undergraduate degree programs. A projected total of 4,416 students are enrolled in these programs this semester.
A strong commitment to its students made UTSA a perfect fit for Yelitza Ramirez ’16, ’19, an alumna who earned a biology degree. In her eyes, this dedication set UTSA apart from other institutions. The university’s proximity to home was also a plus.
Yelitza RamirezRamirez’s academic career at UTSA started in 2013 when she began her pursuit of a B.S. in biology. Upon graduating, she set her sights on her master's in the same field, which she completed at UTSA in 2019.
“UTSA inspired me to become active with the community and engage,” Ramirez said. “The university instilled a sense of duty in me to apply my degree and knowledge to help others in need.”
Students coming to UTSA gain a competitive edge. While at UTSA, Ramirez had the opportunity to highlight her research in poster presentations and publish a first-author manuscript. She has been able to translate the skills she acquired in the laboratory to her career in public health, increasing her capacity to write proposals and present them to her supervisors while they served on the COVID-19 Response Team of San Antonio.
Ramirez now helps coordinate clinical trials at University Health. Her strong foundation in science and her experience in research continues to play a vital role in ensuring all members of her team are well-informed, despite their varying professional expertise.
“I act as the bridge between the research, doctors and patients,” Ramirez said.
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Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusCovidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
