The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
Industrial Technology Student Spotlight: Fernando Nuño Pulido
Fernando Nuño Pulido
1) I graduated with my Master's Degree in Industrial Technology in December 2020.
2) My Research project: Due to the ongoing pandemic, Fresno State has had to halt
any in-person tours of the campus. This has already led to a decrease in the enrollment
of the university because of the inability to interest potential students with our
beautiful campus. In order to solve this issue, I began working on a small-scale robot
that could show potential students around the campus autonomously. I finished a robot
that was able to "walk" (using wheels) to predetermined points. The continuation of
the research is being done by my department after I finished the first robot.
3) I've had an interest in robotics and automation since I started college but having
the Pandemic begin in my second-to-last semester made me want to solve a problem that
was very new to our University.
4) I am working with a professor of the Industrial Technology department, Dr. Zhang.
I took several of his robotics classes along with a class based around Artificial
Intelligence. Dr. Zhang provided me with a lot of support in many facets of the project
since he is very well-versed in computing languages and robotics.
5) From this project I have learned that persistence is very much a key to success.
No matter what the problems are in your project or in your life, you must try and
try again if necessary. Many times my code did not work, but many times I tried again
until I found an acceptable solution. The second thing that this project taught me
is that I very much enjoy solving problems that are brand-new or coming up with solutions
that are experimental in nature; innovation drives me to shorten words. I hope to
use and showcase these skills in my future career.
6) Being graduated, I have begun searching for jobs as an Engineer. I love design
so there are many opportunities for me in that field, but I've also had experience
in a manufacturing setting which was very enjoyable as well. I would very much like
to work for a research company or in a field where innovation is constant. I have
applied to jobs in NASA, as well as Tesla, SpaceX, etc.
7) I am hoping that my graduate research will help me stand out in my career search
and hopefully land me a job where I can help innovate from current solutions. I will
be able to show that I was conscious of new problems that arose due to the pandemic
and that I was able to use some of my knowledge to make a positive impact on that
problem.
8) I chose to attend Fresno State because I had always thought of Fresno State as
a hometown school that I wanted to attend. I was contacted in high school by a representative
of Fresno State who helped me in my application process and made it very easy to apply.
9) I do not have any relatives that attended Fresno State but my younger brother has
now enrolled in Fresno State.
10) I was selected to receive the William H. Bliss Scholarship in my last year of
my graduate program, which was a great honor to me. I was unable to meet the full-time
student requirement however since I had already finished everything in my graduate
curriculum besides the Master's project. I felt very honored to have been selected,
even if I could not receive it.
11) I did not work at any farm units during my collegiate career.
12) I have worked for Anlin Industries here in the Central Valley; they are a window
manufacturer located in Clovis. I worked there as a Quality Auditor for 2 years during
my undergraduate degree. I was able to witness and understand how a manufacturing
facility works; which metrics are important to the success and satisfaction of the
customer and how engineers and workers contribute to that success and quality. I was
able to learn manufacturing principles in my classes and then witness those same manufacturing
principles being applied on the factory floor, which made the experience invaluable.
I also worked in an engineering firm during my graduate degree known as Balanced Comfort.
I was part of the Mechanical Engineering department, where plans for the HVAC (heating,
ventilation, air conditioning) systems of buildings were drawn. I was tasked with
calculating the heat load of buildings and using those calculations to select systems
that would provide comfort for the occupants of those buildings. I spoke with architects,
different types of engineers to collaborate and create buildings to be approved by
the city and the customer. I was able to acquire the largest contract in our firm's
history for a set of as-built plans for 2 hotels in Mariposa.
13) from these two jobs/internships, I learned a lot of valuable business skills and
I was able to apply the knowledge that I got from my classes in Fresno State. Manufacturing
experience will be necessary for me in the jobs that I hope to get in the future,
whether it be in NASA, Tesla or SpaceX because anything manufactured in those jobs
will have quality requirements and cost requirements as well.
Being able to design in an engineering firm gave me the confidence of being able to
suggest ideas, own them and carry them to completion. As an engineer, I will be able
to work in cross-functional teams to understand and solve issues that may come up
in design or manufacturing projects.
14) For Balanced Comfort the Engineering firm, I worked with a Fresno State alum of
the lyles college of engineering. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering,
Mufeed AlShakori. He taught me a great deal about HVAC design and other engineering
topics.
15) I was invited to join Alpha Zeta twice, but I was not able to make a time commitment
due to being employed.
16) I have no background in AG. My father is an Engineer as well.
17) I was President of the Fresno State Water Polo Club for a year during my undergraduate
degree and I was a part of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. I was part of the EMP (Entrepreneur
Mentor Program) during my last graduate year and my mentor, Claude Laval, was the
person who hired my father for a job here in Fresno that brought us to California
from Michigan.
18/19) I was born in Mexico and I moved to the US when I was 10 years old. I moved
to Detroit, Michigan which was a big culture shock for me. I feel that moving to a
new country so young helped shape me into who I am and helped me realize that I can
overcome any obstacle that is placed in front of me. At that time, I knew I had received
a chance that not many kids like me in Mexico would get and I needed to take full
advantage of my opportunity. I decided that I would not only get a college degree
but that I would earn an advanced degree in STEM to represent my people.