Junior Industrial Engineering Student Receives SME Foundation Scholarship

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Arturo Nuñez Uribe

Arturo Nuñez Uribe, a junior in the industrial engineering program, has received the 2016-2017 Myrtle & Earl Walker Scholarship from the SME Education Foundation. Nuñez Uribe, advised by Harry Pierson, assistant professor of industrial engineering, is completing a spring/summer internship with BMW in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Pierson recommended Nuñez Uribe for the scholarship, saying; "Arturo is an excellent student with a zeal for Manufacturing Engineering. He is very collegial and easy to work with. I have absolutely no doubt that he possesses the intelligence, motivation, and work ethic to be a successful Manufacturing Engineer."

Regarding BMW, Nuñez Uribe said, "I have been able to work alongside an experienced engineer in configuring new camera networks with machine vision technology, resulting in autonomous error detection systems that rely on image acquisition and programmable logic rather than human intuition," he said. "This relieves the need for dedicated quality technicians, allowing them to focus on value added processes which saves the company, and ultimately the customer, money."

In addition to the technical expertise that Nuñez Uribe is acquiring, he appreciates the opportunity to work as part of a global team at BMW.

"The most rewarding experiences are the interactions with my colleagues," he said. "I have been able to collaborate with professional engineers of different cultures and backgrounds, from different countries and continents. It has been surprising, in an eye-opening way, how critical it is for our own engineers to work with international associates in order to supply international markets and to maintain a global impact on auto manufacturing."

Regarding industrial engineering, Arturo said "I have been very blessed to be part of this program it has provided me a foundation on which to build my future. Apart from realizing the need for lean manufacturing and value added systems, I have also been exposed to the need for multilingual engineers. With today's exciting technologies, it is critical that we innovate for the future at a global scale, and that requires the ability to communicate with a variety of cultures."

Nuñez Uribe will resume his studies at the U of A in the fall, where he is the internal vice president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Upon graduation, he plans to gain more expertise in industry and ultimately to pursue either a Master of Business Administration or a master's in industrial engineering.

About the SME Education Foundation: SME Education Foundation programs have encouraged more than 60,000 students to study STEM, with a focus on technology. The Foundation's scholarships offer students a powerful reason to choose a manufacturing focused education. In order to apply for scholarships, students must first register with the SME Education Foundation. The application process is open from November to February. Registered students are notified via email when application opens in November. More information about SME Education Foundation can be found here.