10 Feb 2017

Born and raised in the State of Mexico, Victor Hernandez and his family live in a place rich in cultural heritage and tradition, but this old Mexico is giving way to the new. He attended elementary school near his home, but for high school commuted to Mexico City. It was a family tradition to go to schools belonging to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and his mother decided it was best for him to continue the tradition.
Throughout high school, his mother encouraged him to study diligently and get good grades. When the internet “reached his town,” he had access to information about the life and work of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. They soon became his virtual role models. “They were great businessmen in technology companies, and I was fascinated with the products they generated, because it seemed they made life and work easier for humanity,” said Hernandez.

After high school graduation, he felt lost and didn’t know what he wanted to do in life. So, he went to work to find his way. His first professional position was a customer service representative in the technical support division at Time Warner Cable Company, where he assisted customers with their internet service. He met colleagues who were studying computer programming while working there. Their work fascinated him, and he remembered he liked studying computer science in school. Thinking about computer programming raised questions, and he knew the information technology education in Mexico was limited at that time. After working four years in business, he decided to return to school and enrolled in Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Ecstepec (TESE) in Mexico City.

In the United States, international partnerships can support foreign student careers. NASA launched its international internship program NASA I2 (pronounced “I squared”) in 2014 to give students a unique exchange opportunity as
they pursue studies in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
 fields, particularly in research areas related
 to NASA missions and programs. NASA’s
 Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley manages the program. Mexico is an approved international partner, so TESE is invited each year to send promising students to NASA to participate in the agency’s I2 program. TESE proposes candidates, and the Mexican Space Agency works with the Ames Education Office to select interns based on skills, previous research and school performance.
The internship is designed to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration among United States and international students, enhance students’ knowledge of STEM, develop skills in new areas of research and enable future multinational missions and collaborations in science and technology development.

Today, Hernandez is an intern in the NASA I2 program. He works in the Intelligent Systems Division at Ames on the compound eye, a biomimetic sensor that calculates the deflection off the wings of an aircraft. He is also responsible for merging the database system with an interface that helps researchers browse experiments and perform noise analysis. His mentors George Gorospe and Christopher Teubert have provided their expertise and guidance to help him become a research professional.
 He will graduate at the end of the term. He plans to continue his education but has made an untraditional decision to earn a master’s degree in a foreign country, where computer science is more advanced. Someday, he would like to work for NASA permanently.
He also hopes to motivate other Mexican students to participate in the program. “They should understand that education, diligence, excellence and commitment are some of the skills needed to be accepted in a great institution like Ames,” said Hernandez. “I am happy to have participated in the program; it has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life.”