Angie Perez ’22, a mechanical engineering major with a concentration in robotics, is one of 14 students awarded a Dorothy Goodwin Scholarship for the 2020–21 academic year. Scholarship recipients are undergraduate female students who are conducting innovative research or developing creative projects with support from faculty mentors. Perez is planning to conduct a fluid dynamics investigation of flow over different wing shapes in transonic and supersonic flow regimes with Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ivana Milanovic.
“I will be researching the effects of air flow at high velocities within the transonic flow region (at roughly 1,000 miles per hour) and how it impacts the body of an aircraft wing (the ONERA M6 wing) by using the simulation software called ANSYS Fluent,” Perez explains. “I will then compare these results to experimental data provided by NASA. After discovering the effects of the air flow and how the control variables affect the results, I will recreate the geometry of the jet wing to resemble the Airbus MAVERIC and create a simulation to determine how it will be affected by supersonic and transonic flow.”
Milanovic had Perez as a student in her thermodynamics II class during the fall semester. “We reviewed the process of learning how to use ANSYS Fluent to solve some simple two- and three-dimensional problems, such as flow through the nozzle or mixing elbow,” Milanovic says. “Angie’s proposed research project will give us an opportunity to build on this simulation experience, which will also enable Angie to further strengthen her technical and simulation skills. She has great potential, and I anticipate our collaboration will both improve her research capabilities and open new pathways while advancing work that may be pursued by other CETA students interested in computational fluid dynamics.” Once their research is complete, Perez will present her findings at The Women’s Advancement Initiative Symposium.
As a female engineer herself, Milanovic has paved the way for many female students in CETA, helping them find their niche in different areas of engineering. Perez is inspired by her for many reasons.
Angie Perez ’22, mechanical engineering major with robotics concentrationI appreciate Dr. Milanovic for giving me the opportunity to show my potential as a student and as a future engineer. Great professors like Dr. Milanovic give students inspiration to push themselves to expand their education and go beyond the margins of our predetermined curriculum. She has pushed me to try for things I didn’t believe I could achieve, even if it meant I would fail; the experience would benefit in the long run.
Along with the influential faculty, another aspect of campus that attracted Perez to UHart was its diversity and positive environment. “Some of the kindest people you can find are fellow students around the UHart campus; if not, they have already graduated and become faculty,” she says. Perez knew most of her life that she wanted to pursue a career related to mechanical engineering and robotics because of her love for technology. “My dad was the first person to influence a passion of technology on me, as he used to help fix anything his friends would give him,” she recalls. “It would range from cars, average PCs, to little iPod shuffles. My dad loved to repair anything, and I loved to watch and help him if I could. From the age of 10, when I got a handle of my own mini screwdriver, I would take apart all my battery-powered toys and put them right back together.”
To this day, Perez admittedly sits in between classes taking apart pens and putting them back together just to keep her hands busy. It was in high school when she researched and understood what a mechanical engineer could do and ultimately influence her career path.
Another aspect that drew Perez to the mechanical engineering program at UHart were the six concentrations available to students. Being able to earn a concentration in robotics meant Perez would have the opportunity to take specific classes related to this area that would count toward her bachelor’s degree, instead of needing to take additional courses outside of her program for a minor. She chose the robotics concentration because she was already involved in her high school’s FIRST robotics team, Team 1991 (The Dragons).
“My first year on the team was very bittersweet; since I was on a male-dominated team that related to male-dominated careers, I knew that I would face a few hardships as a woman who just so happened to be a minority,” she explains. “However, those hardships made me want to be in my career even more just so I can break barriers as a woman in my field and bring more awareness on sexism in STEM-related careers.”
Along with the motivation to break barriers, Perez says she gained numerous skills while being on the robotics team, such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving, the usage of many types of hand tools, and machining (more specifically TIG welding and CNC). During her first year in high school, she became the head welder on the team and spent the rest of her years teaching fellow students how to TIG weld. Eventually in her senior year of high school, Perez was nominated to be the captain of the build team, which allowed her the opportunity to lead and teach fellow students about machine safety, machining, hand tools, problem solving, and decision making on design and electronics. “Those four years working on robotics gave me first-hand experience in an engineer’s world and it still inspires me to pursue a career in engineering and to continue living my dream of being hands-on with robots,” she says.
Perez has found additional interests at UHart. She is currently a member of the Hartford Powerlifting team for a second consecutive year. She was also recently accepted into the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program’s Class of 2022 cohort. “Being in the LEAD program allows me to be more involved and active in the University’s Women’s Advancement Initiative and help fellow women advance themselves in their education and careers,” Perez says.