Living his childhood dream

Isaias studied mechanical engineering at the bachelor's level in Puebla Technology Institute in Puebla in Mexico. He continued his studies, earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Monterrey Institute of Technology also in Mexico. Before coming to the UT, Hernandez Ramirez worked for six years in an electrical research institute in Mexico. He is currently a doctoral student in the Engineering Fluid Dynamcs group, pursuing a lifelong dream to earn a PhD.

How did you become interested in mechanical engineering?

`It was my passion to discover how machines work. My father and my grandfather worked for a train maintenance company, which was an eye opener into the world of mechanics. I wondered how the machines functioned at a tender age. It became clear to me when I started studying that this was what I wanted to do. My interest has always been to discover the secret of machines.'

If you had to start all over again, would you study mechanical engineering?

Yes, because this field of research answers my questions about the physics of machines. This particular area of study gives me the opportunity to see the science behind the machines and electrical appliances. It is interesting to discover some aspects of mechanics at this stage in my studies. I could not understand several things when I was younger, which now seem utterly simple to me.

What challenges have you encountered along the way?

Sometimes research does not yield the anticipated results. In that case, it needs to be conducted again to see if the results were true. At the PhD level, too, sometimes the challenge is to ask the right question to get the right answer. To find the needed motivation to do the research, in most cases, is the most difficulty thing about studies at the PhD level.

What are your plans for the future?

I would like to do something in the future in the business field, some sort of commercial endeavor. It has always been my wish to contribute to the Mexican economy with my knowledge in mechanics.

Thus far, Hernandez Ramirez's childhood dreams have come true. No doubt the Mexican economy would surely welcome the boost if his last wish were to be realized, too.

Tony Gyau