Ann Quiroz Gates
Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs The University of Texas at El Paso
Contact Information:
Admin Building 310 The University of Texas at El Paso 500 W. University CCSB 3.1002 El Paso, Texas 79902 Office: +1.915.747.5725; Fax: +1.915.747.7522 agates@utep.edu
Biography:
Dr. Ann Q. Gates is Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at the University of Texas at El Paso. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF INCLUDES alliance that focuses on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of Hispanics in computing. She is past director of the Cyber-ShARE Center of Excellence, which has the mission to advance education and research through cyberinfrastructures that support information exchange and integration, as well as collaborative interdisciplinary research. As national leaders in the study of collaborative science and engineering, the Center developed and applied models of team-based, cooperative learning, interdisciplinary teamwork, and knowledge integration and management. Additionally, Dr. Gates served as the Computer Science Department Chair for over 11 years between 2005 and 2019. Dr. Gates’ research area is in software engineering with a focus on development of technologies for monitoring software correctness and data quality. Her work extended and defined software engineering methods, in particular technology to support development of systems that are of high consequence, i.e., failure of the system could result in loss of life, equipment, security, or financial losses. She is recognized for her work on the Affinity Research Group Model, a set of practices that support the creation and maintenance of dynamic and inclusive research teams in which students learn and apply the knowledge and skills required for research and cooperative work. She has deep experience in creating and managing large teams, collective impact, and systemic change.
For further details, please view my complete CV.
Research Expertise
Gates directs the NSF-funded Cyber-ShARE Center of Excellence ("Cyberinfrastructure for Sharing resources to Advance Research and Education"). Cyber-ShARE's mission is to advance education and research through cyberinfrastructures that support information exchange and integration, as well as collaborative interdisciplinary research. As national leaders in the study of collaborative science and engineering, the Center has developed and applied models of team-based, cooperative learning, interdisciplinary teamwork, and knowledge integration and management. She also conducts research in software engineering. Her research focuses on development of technology for monitoring software correctness and data quality that can be transferred to both public and private industry. Specifically, the focus is on extending and defining software engineering methods and developing usable technology to support development of complex systems that are of high consequence, i.e., failure of the system will result in loss of life, equipment, security, or financial losses. Using properties to monitor systems can assist in detecting conflicts and errors during software execution or data acquisition.
Education Expertise:
Gates has led the development of the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model for structuring research groups that involve undergraduate and graduate students. The goal of the model is to provide an environment that supports persistence and participation of students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The ARG experience advances the scholarship of discovery and, as a byproduct, instills in many students the desire to continue their education. The benefits of ARG are that students learn the skills and strategies that will make them effective leaders and successful in research, academia, and industry, and they gain experience with making informed decisions about technical matters and working in teams to solve complex problems. With rapid, continual changes in technology and the omnipresence of computers in our daily interactions, it is critical that undergraduate students attain appreciation for life-long learning and a higher level of competence in technical areas. The university and departmental goals of providing innovative student programs, educating people in the region who have limited economic and educational opportunities, and preparing students to become professionals and leaders are met through development, refinement, and application of the ARG model.
In addition, Gates leads the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI). CAHSI’s strategic actions to accelerate change are driven by a collective impact approach that engages administrators, faculty and professional staff, and entities from the public and private sectors. Because of its evidence-based impact, CAHSI was nationally recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education and by Excelencia in Education through its Growing What Works database.
Courses:
Over her time in the Computer Science Department at UTEP, Dr. Gates taught multiple courses in Computer Science and Software Engineering including the capstone courses: CS4310 and CS4311.