Experiencia del Programa MISTI en UTEC

¿Qué es el programa MISTI y en qué consiste?

MISTI is the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative. It’s aim is to connect MIT students, faculty, and alumni (like myself) with researchers, companies, and other partners across the globe to work to solve the world’s greatest challenges. It provides its MIT participants with opportunities to enrich their MIT experience broaden their academic, professional, and personal horizons through direct exposure to practical and substantive work. Doing so while being immersed in the language and culture of a different country provides important experience in global collaboration.

¿Por que seleccionaste el proyecto de la Dra. Eunice Villicaña y venir a UTEC?

I have a degree in mechanical engineering with my primary concentration being focused on the intersection of engineering and biology. Much of my undergraduate work in both industry and academia has consisted of studying the mechanical nature of the heart and cardiovascular system in order to create/improve medical devices that will improve patient outcomes in interventional procedures such as valve replacement and heart attack recovery. However, I have always had a passion for alternative energy and working to solve the world’s energy crisis. When considering which field I would work, I was naturally drawn to the Energy Engineering Department at UTEC. After being introduced to Professor Eunice Villacaña, I was sure that this was the area of study I wanted to work on during my time in Peru.

              As for UTEC, I was drawn to its commitment to migrating away from traditional engineering study towards a more involved, hands-on mindset. This is very similar to MIT’s motto, “Mens et Manus”, which means “Mind and Hand”. It represents MIT’s educational mission to emphasize the importance of practical purpose (“Hand”) alongside traditional academic knowledge (“Mind”). After 4 years at MIT, I feel very strongly that this type of education provides its students a unique opportunity to immediately impact the world. It was something I wanted to continue at UTEC. There was also the underlying focus of social impact at UTEC that convinced me to work here.

¿Qué fue lo que más te gusto en UTEC?

              My favorite part of UTEC is the freedom given to me to explore different projects and work with different people within the university. During my time here, I’ve been given the opportunity to take my time and learn about a field with which I was less familiar, solar energy. I’ve also been given some freedom in deciding which types of projects I will be working on. After spending a few weeks working a project aiming to create a solar map representing the solar energy potential sites in and around Arequipa, I transitioned to work on a student project to build an affordable solar-thermal water heater (called a thermosiphon)  for a school and small clinic in Puno. This combination of projects has made my UTEC experience outstanding. Working with Professor Eunice as well as David, Carlos, and Edwardo (my incredible teammates for the thermosiphon project) has been what really made the past few months unforgettable!

¿Cómo te ha ido en el proyecto?

              The projects have both gone very well! For the solar mapping project, I learned many new concepts related to evaluating the efficiency potential of different sites based on factors such as weather patterns, geographic location, and climate types. Professor Eunice has been incredibly willing to answer my many questions. For the thermosiphon project, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team throughout the entire project process (design, fabrication, and testing) which has been fun! There have been many times when we all worked hard to make creative decisions to solve the various problems that arose throughout the process.

¿Qué te vas llevar de UTEC al MIT?

              I’ve learned so much in my short time in UTEC. This not only includes the technical knowledge I have learned about solar energy, but also the communication and teamwork skills that are involved with working on interdisciplinary teams with members of different academic and cultural backgrounds. In the end, I think I will bring back to Boston with me what I have learned from the people here at the unviersity. UTEC is filled with many passionate students, faculty, and researchers who are committed to working hard and making meaningful societal impacts with their work. I was amazed at how hard our student-led team worked with almost no faculty intervention unless when necessary. We stayed late many times working on fabricating the mockup even though the final product would not need to be built for more than a month. They students were driven to do their best work on the project not because it was a required project for their degree completion or because it would benefit them personally, but because they know the impact their project can bring to the community in Puno. For me this drive is inspiring, and is something I hope to carry with me in my future endeavors.