TAMIU Students Showcase Software Engineering Solutions in Partnership with Laredo Public Health Department
Recent project presentations by Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) software engineering students from TAMIU’s School of Engineering showcased bold digital solutions for critical needs identified through a remarkable partnership with the Laredo Public Health Department (LPHD).
The goal of the partnership was to further improve LPHD internal processes and offer innovative solutions to advance delivery of services to the community by the Health Department.
Among services students were charged with addressing were a vital records database, a community resource finder, interactive health maps and a map of the LPHD complex; event management and feedback software, a volunteer scheduling system, a healthy recipe database, and an internal course management software.
Projects, responsible students and outcomes included:
Project 1: Vital Records Database
Students Jair Acosta, David Hernández, Eduardo Martínez, and Victorugo Melo addressed the LPHD’s need for efficient vital records management due to population growth and outdated physical spreadsheets. Students innovatively developed a web-based platform with an intuitive user interface for easy record retrieval and request submission. The system includes an administrator function for updating the database via CSV uploads, significantly improving data accuracy and timeliness.
Project 2: Community Resource Finder
Students Saul De La Fuente, Alberto Camacho, and Andy De Luna responded to the LPHD’s need to improve access to community resources by creating a user-friendly web application for administrators and residents. The innovative solution compiles accessible resources to enhance the well-being of Laredo residents and foster long-term community awareness and health engagement. The centralized platform streamlines access to vital support services.
Project 3: Interactive Health Maps | Map of Laredo Public Health
Students Jorge Jiménez, José Bolado, Karolina Frias, and Luis Vela addressed navigation challenges within the LPHD, particularly for non-English speakers. They devised an interactive digital map. The innovative solution features English and Spanish toggles, search capabilities for services, and clear visual cues with interactive elements like zooming. Administrators can easily manage service information, ensuring a lasting and budget-conscious way to guide visitors effectively.
Project 4: Event Management and Feedback Software
Students Mauricio Jiménez, David Cepeda, Martin Perez, and Ricardo Valdez developed event management and feedback software for the LPHD. This tool simplifies event organization and enhances community engagement. The software enables administrators to add, edit, and delete events, manage event registrations, and quickly gather feedback from attendees in an accessible manner.
Project 5: Volunteer Scheduling System
Students Alexander Ayala, Renato Hernández, Andrea García, Elian Esparza, and Nathan Delapenatargeted improving an inefficient manual volunteer registration for public service events. Their project developed an integrated software system on the City's website. The innovative solution includes customizable event forms, an admin dashboard for managing volunteers, automated email confirmations and reminders, and Excel export functionality, significantly streamlining volunteer management and communication.
Project 6: Healthy Recipe Database
Students Treytion Weight, Carlos Chacón, Jair Aguirre, and Gael Sanchez tackled community health needs in Laredo by providing a tailored and accessible healthy eating resource. Students and faculty innovatively created a fully bilingual database with filtering options for budget, dietary restrictions, and medical conditions… all alongside a calorie calculator. An administrative interface for recipe and appointment management further enhances its utility for residents and health professionals.
Project 7: Internal Course Management Software
Students Arturo Galvez, Alexis Ruiz, Fernando Casas, and Adriana Treviño focused on LPHD's need for a more flexible and user-friendly internal training platform and developed a customizable web-based system. The innovative solution incorporates progress bars, feedback mechanisms, access to materials, and integrated assessments. Role-based logins and structured dashboards for trainees and trainers enhance interactivity and progress monitoring.
Dr. Mahmoud T. Khasawneh, TAMIU director of the School of Engineering, praised the partnership.
“I want to express our sincere gratitude to the City of Laredo and the LPHD for their commitment to engaging with our students. I would also like to commend our Dr. Mustafa Al Lail for his outstanding mentorship of our students through the semester.
“This partnership is a powerful example of how universities and communities can work together to achieve meaningful outcomes. The project presentation was a proud moment for the TAMIU School of Engineering. It showcased the community-minded spirit of our fantastic students. Their software projects were deeply aligned with the real-world needs of the City. This is clear evidence of what happens when academic excellence meets civic engagement. TAMIU deeply values our partnership with the LPHD and we look forward to building on this momentum to explore even more opportunities for collaboration in the future,” Dr. Khasawneh said.
Dr. Mustafa Al Lail, TAMIU School of Engineering associate professor who led the initiative, said it brought theory to life for students and challenged them to design and create solutions. He said he’s gratified by the warm reception from the LPHD.
“Representatives from Laredo Public Health have expressed praise for the quality, innovation, and real-world impact of our students' software solutions. This success is a testament to our students' hard work, ingenuity, and dedication. I think Laredo Public Health is excited about this partnership and we are looking forward to more opportunities in the future,” Dr. Al Lail offered.
Laredo Public Health assistant director Erika Martínez concurred and noted the partnership underscores the multidisciplinary nature of public health.
“As we continue to elevate our academic public health designation, this cross-sector partnership highlights the multidisciplinary nature of public health. Our collaboration with TAMIU empowers future software engineers to develop innovative solutions that address community health challenges. By integrating technology with public health, we not only strengthen our infrastructure but also provide students with real-world opportunities to serve their community.
“This collaborative represents a significant step in bridging technology and public health, reinforcing the Laredo Public Health Department’s commitment to innovation and service excellence. We are now assessing with City of Laredo IST the feasibility for how some of these student-designed systems will be integrated into the department’s digital infrastructure, ensuring long-term accessibility and minimal maintenance,” Martínez said.
Dr. Al Lail also shared that the initiative is consistent with the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan which focuses on Experiential Learning and is called TAMIU LEARN.
“Through experiential learning opportunities inherent in this collaboration, students actively apply their knowledge and skills and reflect on these unique experiences, deepening and enhancing their academic experience at TAMIU,” he observed.
Each project leveraged existing technology, such as ArcGIS Online, SharePoint, and data analytics tools, to ensure efficiency and sustainability. The collaboration emphasized user-friendly solutions, automation, and scalability to meet the evolving needs of public health in Laredo.
By working closely with public health professionals, software engineering students gained hands-on experience developing impactful solutions contributing to community well-being.
Dr. Khasawneh said in addition to the pride that students experienced in sharing their projects, there are at least three takeaways.
“We celebrated our students' accomplishments in developing software that addresses critical community needs; we recognized the valuable partnership between TAMIU and the Laredo Public Health Department, and we demonstrated the transformative power of experiential and service learning in software engineering education,” Khasawneh concluded.
For more information, please contact the Laredo Public Health Department Information office at japerez@ci.laredo.tx.us
To learn more about TAMIU’s School of Engineering, call 956.326.2446 or visit offices in the Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center, room 312. Information is online at https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/soen/index.shtml.
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