April 1, 2022
BROWNSVILLE, TX – Expanding Frontiers, a nonprofit organization devoted to developing commercial space, energy, and technology startups in South Texas has added Texas A&M International University to its efforts of fostering an ecosystem of innovation in NewSpace in the RGV.
It was a windy Monday morning in Laredo, Texas. Dr. Fredrick Jenet, founder and executive director of Expanding Frontiers, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing educational and entrepreneurial experiences related to commercial space to the South Texas region meets with Texas A & M International University president Dr. Pablo Arenaz to sign a memorandum of agreement. This simple piece of paper marks the beginning of a new era for the students of South Texas.
The nonprofit organization seeks to expose TAMIU students to possible avenues to enter the commercial space sector. These opportunities can include Space Coders, a network of programmers that develop their skills while having the opportunity to work with newspace companies in the South Texas region. They work specifically in growing their skills in complex simulations, data visualizations, analysis functions, software, and mobile applications. Some of the current Space Coder team members have already started working with space startups in the Expanding Frontier network. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis to join the Space Coders team.
For students that are more interested in starting their own space-based business, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Apprenticeship (EIRA) Program offers mentorship in developing and launching participants’ own startup by the end of the cohort. Last year’s inaugural cohort resulted in the launch of 5 space-tech based startups, most of which have continued to the prototyping phase of our Acceleration Program. Applications are currently being accepted for this year’s cohort.
For TAMIU students these opportunities will open doors to the experiences and careers in commercial space that were unheard of just 10 years ago. Additionally, the Memorandum will create a space for the community and surrounding areas to engage in commercial space and the possibilities it brings for the region.
Present at the signing were Dr. Pablo Arenaz, TAMIU president, Maria Eugenia Calderon-Porter, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Global Initiatives, and Dr. Daniel Covarrubias, director of the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development.
About Expanding Frontiers
Expanding Frontiers is a nonprofit organization based in Brownsville, Texas, recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, the Department of Energy, and the Economic Development Agency, and is devoted to developing the commercial space ecosystem in South Texas. Founded in 2019, Expanding Frontiers provides programs for students, veterans, and entrepreneurs intended to introduce them to the emerging commercial space industry. The organization is also an incubator for startup companies and offers training, mentorship, access to capital, exposure to industry experts, and shared office space. Expanding Frontiers is strategically collaborating with NASA, the Silicon Valley Space Center, the New York Space Alliance, and the National Space Society.
Contacts
Fredrick A. Jenet, Founder and Executive Director, Expanding Frontiers fjenet@expandingfrontiers.org
