Opportunities
Students Internship Experience
 Kristen Hallas (PhD Student) |
Hi, my name is Kristen Hallas! I'm a 1st-generation graduate student attending the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In Spring 2022, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science at UTRGV, graduating Summa Cum Laude with the Highest Distinction in Honors Studies. Today, I work as a graduate research assistant at the UTRGV Center of Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Cyber Systems (CAMICS) while pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics and Statistics with Interdisciplinary Applications. Some of my current research interests include knowledge acquisition, integration of machine learning techniques into the field of additive manufacturing, autonomous systems, reliability and sustainability of high-performance computing systems, and inclusive STEM education. I also represent UTRGV's Graduate College on the UT System Student Advisory Council and the Student Government Association as a Graduate Senator for the 2022-2023 Academic Year. In my free time, I like to walk with my two dogs, journal, and practice yoga. This summer, I interned on the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Security Analytics & Monitoring team at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) through the Department of Energy (DOE) Omni Technology Alliance Internship Program. Understanding the long-term trends of HPC systems is critical for engineers and support staff to design long-lasting infrastructure, but this can be a challenging task. These systems generate petabytes of data every day, and many variables must be considered before conclusions can be made about operational efficiency. For my internship, I engineered an approach to visualizing these computing components and their power-consumption and temperature trends together over time, through an interactive, dynamically color changing floor map of the Summit supercomputer at ORNL. This map was designed to be hosted on a web interface with additional plots, and my technique can be extended to support live streaming data. While I was here, ORNL announced that their newest supercomputer, Frontier, was the fastest supercomputer in the world! Creating the next fastest supercomputer will require lots of data and interdisciplinary collaboration. Throughout my internship, I strived to contribute to that aim, by making supercomputing metrics more accessible and digestible to everyone involved in the HPC engineering process. |
 Jose Galarza (PhD Student) |
Jose graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM). Following his interests after, he worked in Infosys to do Data analysis and later moved to do research in the field of fluid mechanics and software applications for the Research and Development department in Ruhrpumpen. Deciding that he wanted to research more in his field, he did a Masters in Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Now he is working in his Ph. D. In Mathematics and Statistics for Interdisciplinary Applications. His interests include doing research in computational physics, computer algorithms to solve optimization problems, and research of Partial Differential Equations of physical phenomena. In the Engineering field, I used this to collaborate with Dr. Santiago Cruz from the Universidad de Monterrey with research in a coupled mechanical and fluid dynamics problems. He worked with Dr. Oraby and Dr. Suazo solving Susceptible, Infected and Recovered models coupled with information spreading equations, to estimate vaccination rates. In the Mechanical Engineering Department he worked with Dr. Caruntu in non linear Dynamics analysis, in application of Human Motion. Working with Dr. Carunut resulted in 4 publications. In between his Masters and Ph. D. studies he also worked at the Brownsville Independent School District in the mathematics department, teaching AP Statistics, Dual Enrollment College Algebra and HB5 Math Courses. His hobbies are playing the Piano, Latin Dancing and the movies. |
 Jacaranda Xolocotzi (Undergrade Student) |
My name is Jacaranda Xolocotzi and I have worked under the CA2REERs consortium as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for Summer 2022. The consortium has allowed me to network with individuals and delve deeper into additive manufacturing. It has also given me the opportunity to go to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where I was able to intern at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where I was able to experience and apply what I had learned in the classroom |
 Jorge Barron (Undergrade Student) |
My name is Jorge Barron Jr and I have had the chance to work as an UG Research Assistant this 2022 Summer with CA2REERs. Looking at how Additive Manufacturing can be pushed beyond its current boundaries and as well as innovate to enhance current manufacturing processes, I have worked closely with professors and graduate students that are very involved in said field. And thanks to CA2REERs, I’ve received a chance to go as far as Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to become a Visiting Intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where I networked and assisted professional researchers and staff members in shaping our current future. |
 Luis Martinez (Undergrade Student) |
I am Luis Martinez and I am a Undergraduate Research Assistant at UTRGV. I am majoring in Computer Science and have had a chance to work in robotics and simulations with CA2REERs. Recently I got the opportunity to intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where I participated in projects under Dr. Kim Pum such as detecting fibers through image processing and computer vision as well using simulations to gather data for machine learning. |
 Darren Espinoza (Undergrade Student) |
I am Darren Espinoza, and I am a student studying mechanical engineering at UTRGV, graduated from South Texas College with a associates degree. I had the opportunity to work at the rapid respond manufacturing center under Dr. Ahmed at the CA2REERS team for 2022 summer. I worked with Dr. Ahmed, Dr. Li, and Dr. Ortega to design a nozzle capable of direct energy deposition for additive manufacturing processes. My work then took a pause as I was sent to ORNL for an internship for learning how to use a 5 axis CNC hybrid machine and learn G-Code for CNC machines where I worked under my mentor Dr. Feldhausen and his team. |
Summer Internship
Intern at the Consortium of Advanced Additive Manufacturing Research and Education for Energy Related Systems (CA2REERs)
Student Internship Opportunity Summer 2022 Presentation
