Cristina Gonzalez/Entertainment Director
With our curiosity in space remaining strong, one FIU student is developing an efficient communication system allowing spacecrafts to send information and photos back to Earth.
Marisol Roman, a PhD student with a focus in Electrical Engineering and Computing, is one of three engineering students who were awarded a fellowship by NASA, which aims to support research in space exploration and increase opportunities for STEM minority students.
“Growing up in the US as an immigrant, it makes me really happy that in a way I’m representing so many people. I have learned from my family to work hard for what I want, even if it meant that it would be challenging,” she said.
The three-year-long fellowship totals more than $600,000 in support of the recipients’ research, which includes solar technologies and satellite communications.
“My project entails improving the isolation of a STAR (simultaneous transmit and receive) system so it could be used for nasa missions,” said Roman. “Right now, I’m doing a lot of research. I’m not that familiar with antennas or radio frequencies, so I have a lot to learn before diving full on into the project.”
Roman, who immigrated with her family from Venezuela to the United States ten years ago, says she never planned to pursue a career in electrical engineering, a field both her grandfather and uncle worked in, let alone a PhD at only 19.
“I never saw myself doing what they do,” she said. “Not because I didn’t think I was capable of doing it but because I always saw myself doing more of what mom did, which is business management.”
It wasn’t until she saw her grandfather and uncle working that her interest was sparked.
Both of them worked in a family-owned automation business and would often come home to show her the projects he was working on.
“[My uncle] would be working on projects and would show me some of the things he had done: an automated robot/process, some 3D program with animations, and I found it interesting,” Roman said. “I still wasn’t clear about what I wanted to do but I knew I was heading in that direction.”
At just 14-years-old, Roman’s grandpa introduced her to the idea of renewable energy sources and smart buildings.
“He told me he was going to start some course and go to conferences, and that I could come,” she said. “At the end, I couldn’t because I was too young at that time, I was like 14. But the idea stuck with me.”
Fast forward to high school, Roman began taking courses that would prepare her for a path in engineering.
This included taking multiple dual-enrollment courses that allowed her to earn her bachelor’s degree electrical engineering with concentrations in power Systems and integrated nanotechnology.
FIU assistant professor, Dr. Elian Alwan, met Roman while she was working on her senior design project and encouraged her to pursue her PhD, something she was hesitant to do.
“I didn’t want to do it at that time,” said Roman. “ I told him that as vice president of the American Association of Venezuelan Engineers, I could propose some informal event with other career majors, and he could reach more people about graduate school at FIU.”
After the event, Roman decided that she could be a good candidate for the program.
“I thought that I should go for it and apply,” she said. “ I just thought that if I didn’t like it, I could leave but if I didn’t apply, I’d never know.
Alwan then encouraged her to apply for the fellowship, in an area she had never worked in.
“I told him my concentration was in electrical engineering and this area he wanted me to go into [radio frequencies and antennas], I had never taken any class in,” she said. “But I told him If he still wanted me to do it and would like to mentor me, I’d do it. I don’t mind learning.”
Alwan was the one who shared the big news with her.
“I was talking to my mom on the phone after I came out of the gym. I was really confused because I was not getting the message,” Roman said. “Once I finally got it, I cried of happiness; my mom and I were in shock for a few minutes.”
As a Hispanic woman in a field that is predominantly populated by men, Roman said the people she meets are often shocked to learn about her career path.
“Some people just tell me that I don’t seem like the engineering type,” she said. “I just laugh.”
Roman has been working on her fellowship since August and said her typical day consists of lots of research.
“A typical day is me waking up, reading some papers/works on antenna isolation techniques, taking notes, and making presentations,” she said. “Also, there’s working on some simulations not related to my project but to get some training on the HFSS [high-frequency structure simulator] software.”
For those who are interested in pursuing a similar career, the fellow said determination and positive relationships are key.
“If you want to do it, go for it. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it or that you have to change the way you behave to fit into the bigger percentage,” she said. “Also, build relationships, make friends, get mentors. They make a difference.”
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