Profiles

Joseph Sanchez

Joseph Sanchez earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 2002. He will be heading back to graduate school at UNM this fall, seeking a master's degree in electrical engineering.

But for now, he is working on the Instrumentation and Controls Team (I&C) for Design Engineering Construction Services (DECS) at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Although he is still a student, he already has considerable experience at the Laboratory. He is originally from Alcalde, north of Española. He graduated from Española Valley High School in 1996, and immediately went to work in Business Operations 7 (System Support) doing computer maintenance. Eventually, he started working with DECS, which is part of the Facility and Waste Operations Division. He worked in DECS for three summers as an undergraduate student.

This summer, he is a participant in the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM), but his present work connects with his past experience.

Looking around in the office where he works and the server room next door, he said, with a grin, "I designed the electrical for this (area) last summer."

In his work now, he said, "We're doing commissioning on control systems where you verify that they operate properly." Such work is vital, he said, because it saves the Laboratory money in the long run.

Asked whether his current work makes use of his studies at UNM, he said, "Yes. My concentration is in systems and controls."

Asked how he found out about GEM, he said, "At school (UNM), they gave a talk about it." The speaker was Dionetta Jones, manager of programs in GEM's main office at Notre Dame.

"I looked into it more and asked some questions and went on to apply," Sanchez said. Asked whether the program has been useful for him, he said, "Yes, very much so. It's going to be a big help." He added, "The internship is pretty exciting. I've actually started with controls and stuff in my field." His mentors are Deidre Witherell and Mel Burnett. He said he is working closely with both of them.

Looking toward the future, he said there is a chance that he will be back at the Laboratory next summer. He might pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering or physics five years down the road. Asked if he would like to be a staff member at the Laboratory eventually, he said, "Yes, there's a good chance."

For now, he is living with his family and commuting from Alcalde each day. The family is proud of him, he said, and, "They're happy I'm home for the summer." He noted that he has older brothers who are electricians. "They really encouraged me to get an education," he said.

And GEM? "It's a great opportunity for whoever gets the chance to do it," he said.