Dr. John Hurtado, interim dean and vice chancellor for engineering, has been part of Texas A&M University since he earned his master's and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. Since then, his career has taken off, including working for Sandia National Laboratories on robots that are now part of a collection at the Smithsonian Institute.
Hurtado was a first-generation student, but he said the challenges he faced were likely similar to those many students face, and he wasn’t sure what his path would be.
“There are a lot of branch points as one grows up, matures and starts college,” Hurtado said. “At each one of those points, I think I've always had a great mentor in my life that has really helped me figure things out.”
After working at Sandia National Laboratories, Hurtado returned to Texas A&M as a faculty member in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. He said throughout his experience, he has seen the importance of diversity in engineering.
“Engineering is about design that can have an impact on society and improving life, and so diversity in all of the dimensions is important because you never know where a good idea is going to come from,” Hurtado said. “When people look at design solutions, they can look at it from their past experience, their perspective, how they might use it, how their family members and others that they interact with might use it. I think that richness can only help a design.”
Hurtado offered advice to students interested in pursuing STEM careers.
“Seek out mentors,” Hurtado said. “Mentors don't have to think like you, they don't have to look like you…you don't have to get it all from one individual. Having a team of mentors is what I would strongly recommend to students.”
These comments are part of a larger conversation. To hear more, listen to this Engineering SoundBytes podcast episode on any major audio platform or on our BuzzSprout Homepage.