Esther Betancourt, a 2016 Women of Color in STEM Conference Managerial Leadership Award winner and holder of five engineering patents, was part of the team that reopened the Rapid Systems Prototyping Laboratory (RASP) recently at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. A $45,000 grant from Harris Corporation helped put the installation back into operation after extensive cyclone damage, the university said in a statement.
“We’ve been partners with UPRM for over 10 years,” said Betancourt, who is a senior director of engineering at Harris and an alumna of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (UPRM). “This partnership has grown as an effort from a whole group of people at Harris and at UPRM. We’re really here because of the talent. The talent of the students that this university graduates is second to none. And all of the hires that we have had from UPRM have been extremely successful. There’s a few of us in executive positions in corporations all over the U.S. at the moment,” she said. (Click here to view on YouTube)
Erik Arvesen, vice president, and general manager at Harris Corporation said the relationship with UPRM and its Department of Electrical Engineering and Computers has been on since 2010.
“It’s a strong partnership, not only from a technology persepctive, but also by the students and alumni that have come from the university and are now key partners, and key employees of our business,” he said. (Click here to view)
Dr. Manuel Jiménez and Ellen Ríos de Acarón, both faculty in the electrical engineering and computers department, submitted the proposal to Harris Corp., which, separately, helped deploy an emergency flyaway satellite communications system to reconnect air traffic facilities on the island after Hurricane Maria.
“This is a project that crowns the effort and collaboration that we have been developing with Harris Corporation,” said Jiménez. “The laboratory was closed since 2017 due to the impact of the hurricane, and thanks to this gift we reopen its doors to support research activities and for the benefit of the students.”
The Rapid Systems Prototyping Laboratory has promoted at least 50 master’s theses, Associate Dean of Engineering Dr. Oscar Perales said. “It’s a situation where both parties win,” he said.
Harris is a proven leader in Communication Systems, Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence System, and the contribution to the university validates the importance of the links between academia and industry, the statement said.
“We develop efficient algorithms and techniques for the rapid implementation of signal processing strategies and embedded systems on reconfigurable hardware platforms,” Jiménez explained. “We have been working for almost 20 years in this area and we understand that it is the only installation of this type that exists in all of Puerto Rico.”
In a written statement, Acting Chancellor Wilma L. Santiago Gabrielini said the contribution of Harris has helped to remodel a much-needed space. “Thank you for being a strategic partner of the university and we are very honored because we know that this contribution indicates that they believe in the caliber of our professors and students,” she said.
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