Mexican student wins third place in NASA contest

José Armando, a student at UdeG, urged young people to achieve their goals and not give up

With a third place in the International Air and Space 2022 contest of NASA (International Air and Space Program 2022), he returned to Tlaquepaque, the student of nanotechnology at the University of Guadalajara, José Armando Becerra Hernandez, who urged young people to reach their goals and not give up.

At the U.S Space and Rocket Center, in Hunts Ville, Alabama, United States, he presented his project of Nanoparticles, radiation blocking (Hydrate Silicate Calcium Nanoparticles), in the International Air and Space 2022 program of NASA, where he obtained the third place of eight international teams that participated in the program.

Becerra Hernández, recounted that he became passionate about nanotechnology, after watching the science fiction movie “Interstellar”, and expressed that his project was made based on the concrete structure, which is a material that serves to retain ultraviolet radiation, because it is harmful to astronauts, even to ships.

“Three NASA engineers were the ones who evaluated 10 people on my team. In this edition we participated members of India, Spain, United States, Mexico, it was one of the most complete and complicated editions”.

He stressed that with this project he learned to work as a team, since they could only develop their project during the nights for five days. “That collaboration and brotherhood that we developed is very important, I practiced more English, and expanded my panorama because we had conferences with astronauts”.

He mentioned that his goal is to give lectures and workshops to convey his knowledge about science and space to children and young people, “so that they begin to love science, to work as a team and thus leave aside those barriers that prevent them from achieving what they propose, because dreams can be achieved if you have the desire and strength to achieve them”.

The young man from Tlaquepaque, who after knocking on many doors managed to get the support he needed to continue his studies, at NASA, so the Government of Tlaquepaque paid the registration of three thousand 60 dollars for him to attend the NASA program.

Back in Tlaquepaque he is ready to convey all his knowledge and tell everyone that the support exists, but they must work and fight to get what they want. “Just as Tlaquepaque supported me.” He plans to carry out workshops to fulfill this objective.

He added that his wish is to go to space, sit on a rocket, take off, and live the experience of seeing planet Earth, in addition to sending his project to space.

Source: El Sol de Mexico