UTEP Electrical and Computer Engineering

Congratulations to David E. Rodriguez-Borruel, an ECE Undergraduate student and researcher at Power and Renewable Energy Systems (PRES) Lab., who is a recipient of 2025-2026 IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) scholarship!

David also received $3,000 check from IEEE PES. The IEEE Power & Energy Society is a leading provider of scientific and engineering information on electric power and energy for the betterment of society. With over 40,000 members around the globe representing every facet of the electric power and energy industry, IEEE PES is at the forefront of the rapidly changing technological advancements that impact everyone's future.

David is a third PES Scholar from PRES Lab. and his research interests are in cyber-physical power systems, cyber-security, data analytics, and ML/AI applications. As a sophomore, David has three peer-reviewed IEEE conference papers (NAPS2025, TPEC2026, and one accepted at SusTech2026) and is also a recipient of Best Poster Presentation award at IEEE co-sponsored 2025 North American Power Symposium (NAPS). David's UG research advisor is Professor Paras Mandal.

EXCITING NEWS: UTEP has named the college of engineering the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering to recognize a $30 million gift -- the largest in University history -- from alumnus Miguel Loya.

The contribution will create the premiere Miguel A. Loya Scholarship Program, awarding full tuition, room, board and monthly stipends to extraordinary incoming engineering students.

Loya Scholars with the highest honors and achievements upon graduation will a receive bonus award of up to $30,000 at graduation. Applications for the Loya Scholarship will open in Fall 2026 and the first cohort of Loya Scholars will enroll at UTEP in Fall 2027.

UTEP leaders were joined by The University of Texas System Chancellor John M. Zerwas at the announcement.

Learn more: https://utepn.ws/4aksspC

Congratulations to Emily Ocon and Leonardo Flores from ECE who attended summer school.

Yesterday, we celebrated a milestone that represents both achievement and responsibility. The Order of the Engineer and Hooding Ceremony honored the dedication, ethics, and perseverance of our graduating engineers. Congratulations to all who took this meaningful step forward — the future is brighter because of you. 🧡. 🧡⛏️

Congratulations to our Graduating Students!✨

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is proud to celebrate the achievements of our Undergraduate, Master, and Doctoral students. This milestone reflects your hard work and dedication.

As you embark on the next chapter of your journey, we are confident that you will continue to innovate, lead, and inspire others.

Congratulations, Class of Fall 2025. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Four students will receive their PhDs in ECE during the Fall 2025 commencements. # utepgrad

ECE Graduates of Fall 2025.

Getting ready for the order of the engineer ceremony.

David Rodriguez-Borruel, Student Member of IEEE, is an undergraduate student researcher at the Power and Renewable Energy Systems (PRES) Lab. https://www.utep.edu/engineering/pres/ within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is currently a sophomore pursuing his BSEE. His current research interests include cyber-physical systems security, cyber-attacks, and AI/ML applications for reliable operations of smart grid.
David is a recipient of the Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 North American Power Symposium (NAPS) for his contribution to research where he developed a multi-stage framework to preprocess data for machine learning (ML) models, e.g., KNN, SVM, and Random Forest. His findings can serve as a foundational basis for understanding how different preprocessing techniques influence the performance of ML models with the goal of developing more advanced cyberattack detection frameworks to enhance cyber resilience in inverter-based islanded microgrids.
“David is one of the best examples of the UTEP ECE Department, publishing a peer-reviewed research article at the sophomore level. David’s work has also contributed to one of the UTEP's most critical areas of research, i.e., Cyber-Security.” – according to David’s research advisor, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Paras Mandal.

David’s following debut peer-reviewed paper will appear at IEEE Xplore
• D. Rodriguez-Borruel, L. Garza, and P. Mandal, "Impact of Preprocessing Parameters on ML-Based Cyberattack Detection in Islanded Microgrids," 57th North American Power Symposium (NAPS), October 26-28, 2025.