Paulino is currently studying mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley
John Paulino, a former Aragon High School student and Cañada College graduate, has been named to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Student Ambassador Virtual Community.
Paulino is currently studying mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley and
is a member of the Pilipino Association of Scientists, Architects, and
Engineers at the school. He is also going through machine shop training at
Berkeley this spring.
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| John Paulino |
“Being a NASA Student Ambassador allows me to connect with a network of
great professionals, interact and work with my peers, prepare to enter the STEM
workforce, and represent and help NASA inspire and engage future scientists and
engineers,” Paulino said.
For the last two summers, Paulino participated in a 10-week summer
research internship sponsored by NASA through the Curriculum Improvement
Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR) Program.
“In 2011, he did an excellent job doing research on earthquake
engineering, contributing to a successful project that resulted in a Best
Poster presentation at the conclusion of the internship program,” said Amelito
Enriquez, professor of engineering and mathematics at Cañada. “This poster was
one of the finalists for the Best Poster at the 2011 Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers (SHPE) national conference in Anaheim. He also presented
a paper and a poster at last year’s American Society for Engineering Education
Pacific Southwest Section Conference in April 2012.”
For the summer 2012 NASA CIPAIR Program, Paulino led a group of three
other community college students in doing research on the analysis of
performance degradation of integrated circuits due to transistor aging effects
in nano-scale. Although a mechanical engineering major, he was selected as the
lead student in his group, and helped the group receive the Excellence in
Engineering Research Award for the program.
“As a result of this research work, a paper will be presented at the
2013 Interdisciplinary Engineering Design Education Conference (IEDEC) in
March.” Enriquez said. “He is also the lead author of a paper that has been
submitted for presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education
Pacific Southwest Conference in April.”
Paulino credits his education at Cañada for his opportunity at NASA.
“I know for certain that if I did not attend Cañada College, I would
not be here at Berkeley. The great professors I had, internships and
scholarships that I received, and various conferences I attended during my time
at Cañada really prepared me for the challenges at Berkeley.”
Paulino said it’s true that some community college students attending
Berkeley are overwhelmed by its different academic culture and structure. “I
feel fortunate that Cañada gave me the tools I needed to adjust quickly at UC
Berkeley. I’m actually three or four classes ahead of my engineering classmates
who also transferred because I was able to take a few upper-division classes at
Cañada that aren’t offered at other community colleges. I don’t believe that
students who take those classes at UC Berkeley know the material more than I do
because what they learn is basically the same material I learned at Cañada.”
While at Cañada, Paulino participated
in a video encouraging other students to pursue STEM majors at the college.
While it can be a struggle to transfer from a community college to UC
Berkeley, Paulino said students need to keep their eye on the prize. He said
the challenges that arise at school, home, or work can be overcome with the
help of family, professors, and friends. “It’s not always easy,” he said. “But
it’s important to learn from our mistakes and continue to pursue our goals.”
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