{"id":795192,"date":"2026-05-14T06:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795192\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T06:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:11:15","slug":"toyota-gift-funds-new-high-tech-lab-for-am-san-antonio-engineering-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795192\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota Gift Funds New High-Tech Lab for A&M\u2013San Antonio Engineering Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ToyotaAs Texas A&M University\u2013San Antonio expands its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) offerings, it is also deepening partnerships with local industry to prepare students for in-demand careers.<\/p>\n

In a recent collaboration, Toyota Motor North America, which operates a major manufacturing facility just a few miles from campus, gifted $25,000 to the University. The funds will support the development of a new state-of-the-art laboratory for the Electronic Systems Engineering Technology (ESET)<\/a> program.<\/p>\n

The ESET program prepares students for careers in manufacturing, avionics, medical electronics, energy industries, and infrastructure support services. Graduates often work as engineering technologists, technicians, and specialists in product development, manufacturing, and program management.<\/p>\n

ESET is part of a growing portfolio of STEM programs at A&M\u2013San Antonio. The Department of Computational, Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences<\/a> offers degrees in computer science and cybersecurity, while the Department of Natural Sciences<\/a> includes programs in biology, chemistry, and water resources science and technology.<\/p>\n

The new ESET facility \u2014 a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) lab \u2014 is expected to be completed by fall 2027 inside the University\u2019s Science and Technology building. The lab will provide hands-on training with equipment like industrial computers used to automate manufacturing and production processes, such as controlling machinery on factory assembly lines.<\/p>\n

\"\"It\u2019s the same type of technology used at the nearby Toyota plant, where trucks, SUVs, and components such as rear axles are manufactured. Toyota began production at the site in 2006 and is currently developing a 500,000-square-foot expansion expected to add more than 400 jobs.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wael Deabes, associate professor and ESET program coordinator, said the University has a longstanding relationship with Toyota centered on workforce development and student career pathways. Over the years, Toyota has supported STEM scholarships and the University\u2019s annual Dream Maker Scholarship Celebration.<\/a><\/p>\n

Last year, Toyota representatives visited the campus to tour several labs in the College of Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about the importance of the ESET program and how we are working to bridge the gap between theory and practice,\u201d Deabes said. \u201cOur goal is to develop a pipeline of skilled workers and technicians who can fill in-demand jobs in industries like manufacturing. It was a great experience, and Toyota agreed to provide funds to help develop the new lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda Higgins Louden, Toyota\u2019s manager of corporate communications, said the company saw strong alignment between the program and real-world workforce needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got really excited about the curriculum and saw the potential, especially when it comes to equipping students with skills for the real world,\u201d Louden said. \u201cThis contribution is about elevating STEM in our community and helping prepare students for growing industries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louden added that Toyota values its role as a community partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate how A&M\u2013San Antonio is preparing students for the future and giving back to the community,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also strive to be a good corporate citizen, and being neighbors makes this partnership especially meaningful. We\u2019re excited to explore additional opportunities together in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Texas A&M University\u2013San Antonio expands its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) offerings, it is also deepening…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":795193,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,7202,7203,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-795192","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-san-antonio","10":"tag-sanantonio","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-tx","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116571453259887458","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/795193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}