Career opportunities in engineering and technology are often not attracting young people from the Latino community, and the gap widens as the Latino population experiences rapid and unprecedented growth. The under representation of Latinos and Latinas in the fields of science and technology is an important issue of the hidden causes and effects of the growing “digital divide.”

The College of Engineering at California State University Fresno (CSUF) and Radio Bilingüe (KSJV-FM/Fresno) are joining forces with Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana and its radio station XHITT/Tijuana/San Diego to address this issue.

Radio Bilingüe will produce and distribute informational programming that engages audiences in a public dialogue on the low enrollment rate of Latinos in engineering at institutions of higher education. The radio programs will showcase technological and academic achievements by Latino engineers, scientists and students, profile outstanding professionals, and discuss the challenges to close the gap in the engineering field for the Latino community and especially for Latino women.

The news conference will provide programming details and an opportunity to meet many of the principals of the joint venture:

• Dr. Walter Loscutoff, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science-CSUF
• Dr. Jesus Larralde-Muro, Coordinator of the Graduate Civil Engineering-CSUF
• Ing. Oscar Pulido Torres, President, Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana
• Raymond G. Mellado, Founder and Chairman, Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation
• Hugo Morales, Executive Director, Radio Bilingüe

The radio programs will be broadcast through Satélite Radio Bilingüe, the Latino public radio network based in Fresno, CA. Partner station XHITT-FM will air the programs in the Tijuana/San Diego area and other cities on the Mexican border.

Radio Bilingüe is a non-profit, educational broadcast network that is owned and operated by a Latino community-based organization. Starting as a single full power radio station in Fresno, Radio Bilingüe now owns 5 stations serving the San Joaquin, Salinas and Imperial Valleys. In 1993 Radio Bilingüe founded Satélite Radio Bilingüe, recognized today as National Latino Public Radio with Spanish language service on two satellites serving 60 affiliate stations in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

LATINOS IN ENGINEERING. Participants in a news conference and roundtable discussion on the gap of young Mexicans and Latinas in science and engineering careers: Ing. Luis Rios, Outreach vicepresident from Instituto Tecnologico de Tijuana, Hernan Maldonado, director, MESA Engineering Program for California State University, Fresno's College of Engineering, and engineering students Sandra Cazarez and Iris Barban, from Fresno State University.

Wanda Colon Cortes, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico; Maria Erana, Radio Bilingue; Mari Vazquez, Radio Tecnologico de Tijuana.

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