A gender gap persists in science, technology, engineering and math, a problem that researchers say could begin to be understood and then solved through research. U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., has introduced two pieces of legislation to address the issue. The Building Blocks of STEM and Code Like a Girl acts both seek to fund research into early childhood STEM education.

Rama Venkat, dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, is calling UNLV’s latest collaboration — a $5 million, five-year master service agreement with Lockheed Martin — “one of a kind.”

Diversification of the economy has been a goal of many Nevada local and state officials for the past several years. While the resort corridor drives a large portion of the local economy, some experts are starting to take notice of a changing economic landscape in Clark County.

Seventy-nine cents to the dollar. You’ve probably heard that statistic on the gender pay gap, a longtime wedge issue and soapbox topic for politicians, feminists and celebrities.

On most class projects, students are concerned with their grade. At the Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition, engineering students at UNLV also are concerned with winning cash and maybe even getting their project on the market.

Less than two weeks from graduation, some UNLV students seem a bit more prepared for taking on the challenges of the real world.

UNLV received a $1.4 million federal grant to research the design, construction and maintenance of future high-speed rail projects, U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Rep. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, announced on Thursday.

Making sense of big data is often likened to finding a needle in a haystack. But a dean at UNLV’s engineering college says he’s improved the analogy. Organizing big data is more like finding one-tenth of a needle in a haystack, argues Rama Venkat, head of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. “(And) there are not enough scientists to figure out what is in it,” he said.