Aspiring to deepen their understanding of materials and their behaviors, visiting graduate students, Armando Tejado Ochoa and Octavio Alberto Herrera Sánchez are pursuing a portion of their research in the College of Technology, which will help them to complete master’s degrees in Materials Science at Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C (Research Center in Advanced Materials (CIMAV). Both will continue the work on their thesis research here until July 2015.
Fellow, Dr. Ivanovich Estrada-Guel, an academic technician and the director of the mechanical alloying laboratory at CIMAV, will be here until January 2016. Dr. Estrada earned his Doctor in Science and Materials Engineering degree at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Unidad Azcapotzalco in Mexico City. He earned a Master's degree in Materials Science at the Research Center in Advanced Materials in Chihuahua, Mexico. As teaching assistant for the Materials Technology Laboratory (MECT 4172), Dr. Estrada will teach College of Technology students how to conduct materials behavior experiments.
Dr. Francisco Robles, Associate Professor in the College of Technology, arranged the visit, which is financed by the Mexican government. The idea for the exchange was shaped by Dr. Robles' exceptional reputation in materials science and the research collaborations with CIMAV. Robles expects to continue with this student exchange in the future to bring other graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from CIMAV and other Mexican institutions.
When asked about their ultimate expectations, the three agreed that this exchange experience would result in unmatched opportunities for career advancement, learning new techniques, and achieving their academic goals.
Dr. Estrada said, "We are looking forward to applying what we are learning here in our research labs at CIMAV. In addition, we are confident that the students at UH will learn something new from us as well."