With many Texas businesses now allowed to increase occupancy to 75% effective Sept. 21, researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have prepared scenarios that show how the spread of COVID-19 could change over the coming weeks in the Coastal Bend.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been selected to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education, under its Title V-Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program. The grant, funded at $561,711 for the first annual budget period, will start Oct. 1 and is anticipated to be renewed four more years for a total award of $2.8 million.

With the Labor Day weekend approaching, researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are hoping residents and visitors will avoid the types of large gatherings during Memorial Day that contributed to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

In the Texas Coastal Bend, the partnership will launch a first-of-its-kind pilot AI certificate program between TAMU-CC and DMC that will teach AI to a community college audience, and broaden participation by creating a pipeline for underrepresented students in different parts of the country. Through the institute, private industry partners, along with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, internships and mentoring programs for underrepresented groups and unique workforce retraining modules will be created to engage users in learning AI for environmental applications.