In this episode, Adriana Muñoz-Soto, undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, explains how a mechanical design research project allowed her to combine her passion for mechanical engineering and art. Adriana is the awardee of a prestigious scholarship, the NOAA José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholarship. During her internships through this NOAA Scholarship at the University of Rhode Island, she was able to design several versions of a 3D-printed enclosure to fit the components of a deep-sea camera and lighting system.  She is proud to show that mechanical engineering is also for young Latina women, and she hopes to inspire and support others. We hope you will enjoy this episode and join us monthly to discover new guests and their work! In the meantime, look below for Adriana’s bio and contact information.
Adriana M. Muñoz-Soto is a 2020 NOAA José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholar. She was able to intern summers of 2020 and 2021 in NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research in Narragansett, Rhode Island. She has been working with Dr. Brennan Phillips at the University of Rhode Island on a research project titled "Design Analysis of an Aerial Drone-based Imaging Payload System for Deep-Sea Exploration” where she was able to design several versions of a 3D-printed enclosure to fit the components of a Raspberry Pi-based deep-sea camera and lighting system. You can read more about her internship experience in this article from URI News.
Adriana was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. She is currently in her fifth year of her undergraduate degree pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. She wishes to pursue her graduate studies in Mechanical Design and Product Engineering. She is also the founder of an art e-commerce called Sofie's Art Studio. You can contact Adriana at adriana.munoz-soto@noaa.gov.