Summer Research Experience Program

Arizona State University partnered with the Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange between Mexico and the U.S. (COMEXUS) to implement summer research programs for Mexican undergraduate students. The objective is to inspire Mexican talented students to pursue graduate degrees and a career as researchers to increase Mexico's pipeline of researchers and increase student mobility between Mexico and the U.S. as part of the goals of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative led by President Obama, and Proyecta 100,000 Initiative of Mexico’s government.

ASU has received students, Pamela Robles-Franco from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was selected to be the first person from UNAM to participate in the research exchange program with ASU. This student was an undergraduate student in civil engineering at UNAM and she worked with the research team in the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC) to help advance the development of a device to help patients to recover from stroke. CUbiC conducts research in human-centered multimedia computing focusing on assistive, rehabilitative and healthcare technologies.

Three of the 30 students COMEXUS sent to U.S. universities came to ASU. Students participated in a month long research experience program at ASU Biodesign Institute. Andrea Molina who studies biotechnology engineering at Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Maria Cruz who studies industrial engineering at Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla, and Victor Guerrero who studies electrical engineering at Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes. Each student had a mentor, and the students participated in an ongoing research project under the respective mentors guidance . The mentors were Dr. Rolf Halden, director of the Center for Environmental Sustainability, Dr. Wei Kong, research professor in the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, and Dr. Joseph Blattman, also in the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology.