The Institute Also Names Dr. Natalicio an America Makes Ambassador
Youngstown, Ohio — August 12, 2019. America Makes proudly welcomed Dr. Diana Natalicio, President of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) on her visit to the Institute August 1st, before her retirement later this month. Dr. Natalicio’s successor, Heather Wilson, former U.S. Air Force Secretary, will become UTEP’s next president on August 15th.
UTEP, a long-standing member of America Makes since 2012, is also the home of the Institute’s first Satellite Center, established in 2015, at UTEP’s renowned W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation. Since 1988, Dr. Natalicio has served as UTEP’s President, a distinction the makes her not only the longest serving UTEP president, but also the longest serving public university president in the United States.
During her long and distinguished career with the University, which began in 1971, Dr. Natalicio has also served as vice president for academic affairs, dean of liberal arts, chair of the modern languages department and professor of linguistics. Her sustained commitment to provide all residents of the Paso del Norte region access to outstanding higher education opportunities has helped make UTEP a national success story.
“It was an incredible honor for all of us to welcome Dr. Natalicio to America Makes and Youngstown today,” said America Makes Executive Director John Wilczynski. “During her remarkable 31-year tenure as president, Dr. Natalicio has led UTEP to become a center of academic and research excellence, recently attaining Carnegie R1 status as a top tier doctoral university. Our partnership with UTEP and its Keck Center as our first Satellite Center, has been successful, yielding positive outcomes for both our members and industry. Together, our partnership has achieved much to advance additive manufacturing technologies. I anticipate more successes to come from our ongoing collaboration.
“As part of her visit to the Institute, we all felt strongly about naming Dr. Natalicio an America Makes Ambassador in recognition of and appreciation for her continuous demonstration of outstanding dedication to America Makes and its mission,” continued Mr. Wilczynski. “She is a visionary and inspiration to us all. We wish her the best as she embarks on the next chapter of her life, knowing she will be leaving an indelible mark at UTEP and the community of El Paso that won’t soon be forgotten.”
The America Makes Ambassador Program was established in 2017 at the Institute’s annual Members Meeting and Exchange (MMX) event. The Ambassador Program symbolism is a medal embossed with an oak tree, symbolic of the spirit of the recognition as it relates to the strength and size of the tree. The oak leaves and acorns represent the spreading of the mission of America Makes and the ability of something large to grow out of something so modest.
After a tour of the America Makes facilities, meetings with the Institute’s and Youngstown State University’s leadership, Dr. Natalicio and America Makes staff participated in an ecosystem roundtable discussion that included representatives from the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), Center Street Technologies, Defense & Energy Systems, and JuggerBot 3D. The day concluded with a dinner, held in Dr. Natalicio’s honor, hosted by YSU President Jim Tressel where the America Makes Ambassador medal was presented.
For more information about America Makes, its Satellite Centers, or how to become a member, please visit the America Makes Web site at americamakes.us. Follow us on Twitter @AmericaMakes.
About America Makes
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA infrastructure and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit americamakes.us and follow @AmericaMakes on Twitter.
About NCDMM
NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in manufacturing areas—both commercial and defense—to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, the players, the technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at ncdmm.org and follow @NCDMMnews on Twitter.
About The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
The University of Texas at El Paso is a top tier doctoral research university located in one of the largest binational communities in the world. The University enrolls more than 25,000 students, invests $91 million in research annually, and offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in 10 colleges and schools. It maintains one of the lowest out-of-pocket costs of any research university in the U.S., underscoring its commitment to make education accessible to all. For more information about UTEP, visit utep.edu.
About the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation
Located at the University of Texas at El Paso, the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation is a unique multidisciplinary research facility focused on the use and development of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies with primary focus areas in AM Technology Development, Engineered and Structured Materials, and Advanced AM Applications. The Keck Center was established in 2001 as part of a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation and was recently expanded to its current 13,000 square feet as a result of funding from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, the University of Texas System, and Lockheed Martin. For more information, visit keck.utep.edu.
Source: America Makes
