The Technology Division's associate professor of biotechnology Venkatesh Balan, Ph.D., was recently selected to participate in the 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship program.
This program is part of USDA’s commitment to advance equity in professional development opportunities as well as build a more diverse pipeline into public service and the agricultural sector.
This July, Balan will travel to Washington, D.C. to convene with the 2024 class of fellows, where they will meet with agency representatives of the USDA to learn more about the resources and opportunities available to support their students and organizations.
The goal of this experience is to continually strengthen collaboration between academic and governmental leaders in support of Hispanic-Serving Institutions – public colleges and universities whose full-time undergraduate enrollment is at least 25 percent Hispanic students – like the University of Houston.
“This program exemplifies USDA’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to the department’s programs, services and resources by underserved groups," said Lisa R. Ramírez, director of USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.
"This fellowship is basically trying to bring in all these faculty who are already working in this space to build a network of researchers, and a research community, to see how we can do better for our minority students," Balan said.
"We're trying to stimulate our Hispanic student communities and help them explore the biotechnology opportunities available to them. I'm very motivated to help minority students to grow and achieve because it is my way of giving back to the community. Back in India, the caste system leads to a lot of suppression of minority students coming up in life. There are always barriers. I, myself, experience that in many places and how much I need to fight hard to work on overcoming those barriers."
He added, "I want to show these students that the opportunities exist. Within my capacity, experience, and educational background, I'm trying to leverage this program to bring students in and then lift them up to see the opportunities available to them."
Balan's investment in local communities and his networking on the national and international scales all tie back to the same core inspiration.
"All of these things are interconnected in helping me to achieve my end goal of developing some technology with can help people come out of poverty and hunger," Balan said. "I'm working to achieve that greater vision by supporting our students and helping build relationships."