SAC Secures National Recognition from Google to Further Expand AI and Computing Research Pathways

San Antonio College continues to break new ground in STEM education with national recognition from Google Research, earning a $125,000 award in the final cycle of the highly competitive exploreCSR initiative – an honor shared by only four other institutions: Brown University, Arizona State University, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Washington.

This latest award builds on SAC’s growing reputation in artificial intelligence and computing education, and it follows a series of strategic investments in the college’s engineering and computer science programs.

“This funding has allowed us to modernize the engineering curriculum at SAC, incorporating advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality,” said Dr. Henry Griffith, SAC engineering professor and principal investigator. “We’re building a launchpad for students who want to explore research, innovation, and transfer opportunities that were once out of reach.”

The exploreCSR program specifically aims to support students from historically marginalized backgrounds as they explore pathways in computing research. In 2022, Dr. Griffith became the first community college professor in the country to be awarded an exploreCSR grant from Google. That inaugural $18,000 grant grew to $39,000 for the 2023–2024 academic year, and helped establish the foundation for SAC’s current efforts – culminating in this year’s largest award yet.

The $125,000 grant will help SAC scale its transfer bridge and research immersion programs, now extending beyond its successful partnership with UTSA to also include Texas State University. These efforts will introduce SAC students to authentic research environments, mentorship, and real-world AI applications.

“One thing we’ve found is that students from community colleges, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, are intimidated to apply for undergraduate research opportunities because they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into,” Griffith said. “The goal of this is to give them first-hand knowledge of what it would look like to do a more extended research experience.”

SAC began offering these experiences in spring 2024. Fellows like engineering students Angelina Zermeno Mendoza and Lauren Jenkins conducted research in the UTSA hypersonics lab with Dr. Christopher Combs. Amanda Vargas, a cybersecurity major, is currently completing a generative AI research project with Dr. Heena Rathore at Texas State.

With continued support from Google and visionary faculty leadership, SAC is becoming a national model for how community colleges can prepare students for a future where AI drives the economy.