I Am A Researcher!

Jesse Garcia de Alva

Year at UC San Diego: 4th

College: Sixth

Major: Electrical Engineering (Electromechanics)

URH Programs: CAMP (2020), TRELS (Fall '20, Winter '21), McNair (2022)

What are you researching (or did you do in the past)?

In my first research lab, I focused on developing better diagnostic tools for identifying various swallow disorders. My work varied from handling clinic studies with volunteers/patients, analyzing data using MATLAB, prototyping new devices to work with existing diagnostic procedures, and developing in-vitro tests used to standardize experiments and expand our research to clinical labs across the world. During my time in this lab, I was fortunate to be funded and supported by CAMP and TRELS, both of which helped introduce me to graduate school. This past summer, I traveled to MIT and worked on multifunctional implantable fibers used to communicate with the nervous system during my participation in the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP). My project specifically focused on bringing the first full feedback system to the fiber through the development of a material flow sensor. Presently, I have shifted my work outside of medical devices and am working on the characterization of anisotropic materials for use in unique mechanical devices. Again, I feel fortunate to be supported in my work though another URP program, the McNair Scholars Program.

Why and how did you decide to get involved in undergraduate research

I participated in a mentorship program at UCSD that paired me with a Mechanical Engineering PhD student. Through this mentor, I was introduced to research for the first time. Hooked by what research had to offer, I applied to the UCSD CAMP program that Summer. The next summer I wanted to dive deeper into research and was accepted into the MIT Summer Research Program. Presently, I am involved in the McNair Scholars program at UCSD. What I love most about research is the ability to endlessly pursue curiosity, and even better, curiosity that has the power to improve people’s lives in new ways.

What are your future plans/goals? 

Having always had a passion for more “hands on” engineering, I plan on shifting my focus to Mechanical Engineering. I am honored to say I was accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Masters program at MIT and I will be working as an Intern over the summers with Medtronic as they will help to sponsor my graduate studies through the GEM Fellowship. Over the next two years, I am excited to continue to pursue research, focusing either on developing medical devices, or shifting to the development of new manufacturing techniques. Upon graduation, I hope to take my interdisciplinary background to industry in order to take the skills I learned and apply them to creating present day solutions.