Mexicans collaborate on mobility plan that wins at international event

Students Ana Karen Cuenca and Rocío Morales from the Puebla campus of Tecnológico de Monterrey , together with another 10 students from different countries, have won at IDEEA 2021 for their work on a mobility plan for students in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“We designed a vehicle that would solve the problems affecting many students, especially the youngest ones, since public transportation in Sao Paulo doesn’t take into consideration the height and size of girls and boys,” explains Karen.

The B2 team was made up of students from Brazil, South Korea, Romania, Canada, the United States, and China, with Karen and Rocío representing Mexico.

IDEEA (International Design and Engineering Education Association) holds an international competition in which students from universities around the world propose disruptive solutions to technology problems.

For this year’s prize, the association asked participants to solve mobility problems in megacities.

The students found out about this opportunity thanks to their Mechatronics Design professor, Roberto Mora, who encouraged them to participate.

A project that will come true 

The team which included the Tec students chose Sao Paulo, as it’s a city with serious transportation problems for students. Children suffer the most because there are no adequate safety measures.

“The contest’s specifications included us having to focus on technologies that will emerge in 2025, so the entire project was based on the technological development that will be available that year,” explains Karen.

In addition to presenting solutions to real problems, this contest is different because the solutions will be implemented, and the project will be up and running in three years’ time.

Taught by the Tec

Rocío and Karen, students in their final semester of Mechatronics Engineering, say that the Tec has given them indispensable tools such as knowing how to work in a team and adapting to an international multidisciplinary team.

“Remarkably, the Tec has given us tools to compete internationally. We were able to use skills such as teamwork, theoretical knowledge, and language. In Mexico, we have the ability to compete on a global scale,” says Karen.

“The Tec has given us tools to compete internationally,” says Ana Karen Cuenca, a student at the Puebla campus.

Rocío says that one of the main challenges they faced was being able to agree on a schedule for team meetings, as it was made up of students from different countries, as well as having to get up in the early hours of the morning.

“The student experience that we’ve had since we started our studies has taught us to be flexible because despite having so many activities, we had to make an extra effort to adapt to everyone’s time zones.”

Another challenge that the students faced was the different ways their classmates thought and worked. Together, they managed to join in, get to know each other, and become friends.

“The interesting part came when we saw how we each person approached design to propose the engineering part of the project. We all respected each other’s ideas.”

Facing the pandemic and the future

Rocío says that, as engineers in training, implementing what they have learned both theoretically and practically has given them personal satisfaction.

“It’s good news for us. The pandemic has caused a lot of problems, and in a way, we were frustrated as we could no longer go to laboratories and face-to-face classes. Seeing the will to create something, albeit virtually, encourages us to keep going. It’s possible to grow.”

In the short term, both are hoping to venture into areas of technological development, the energy or biomedical sector, at companies such as Samsung or Siemens.

“The energy sector interests me. There’s a lot to be done about climate change. We need to put ourselves at the same level to have the same opportunities. Energy is key to human activities,” says Rocío.

Finally, and as the only women on the B2 team, the budding engineers advise young people to not be afraid and try to achieve their goals, regardless of barriers.

“Many times, you learn the most during the process, and at that moment you realize that you’re prepared for these challenges because of what you’ve learned,” encourages Rocío.

“It’s up to us how far we want to go and the actions we take from now on,” concludes Karen.

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