HELLO, I'M
Elderson Mercado Rivera.
Mechanical Engineering, B.Sc.
About
MY BACKGROUND
My name is Elderson Mercado Rivera, and I hold a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Project Management from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. I am passionate about the aerospace industry and am actively seeking opportunities to further develop my skills and gain experience in both research and industry settings. My long-term goal is to pursue a Ph.D. and make significant contributions to the aerospace field. Beyond my professional interests, I enjoy spending my free time reading, playing the piano, and writing songs. Music and literature are integral parts of my life, providing a creative balance to my scientific and engineering pursuits.
Education
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
2018–2024
University of Puerto Rico– Mayagüez, PR;
Bachelor of Engineering; Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 4.0/4.0
2015–2018
Patria Latorre Ramirez High School, San Sebastian, PR Class of 2018
Class Valedictorian
*Click on the links attached to the images for more information.*
Experience
WHERE I’VE WORKED
August 2019 - May 2023
Research Assistant in the following projects:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Thermal Cycling Rig Design for High Heat-Flux Environment in Ox-rich Turbopump mentored by Dr. Zachary Cordero (June 2022-December 2022) [Click here]
Stanford University
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Remaining Useful Life (RUL) Prediction of Turbofan Engines Through Machine Learning mentored by Dr. Xiaolin Zheng (June 2021-August 2021) [Click here]
Penn State University
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Identifying the best two-dimensional channel material for the reinstatement of complexity scaling in floating gate FETs mentored by Dr. Saptarshi Das (June 2020-August 2020) [Click here]
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
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Low Melting Point Metallic Suspension Nano-composite PCM as a Thermal Management Solution for More-Electric Systems mentored by Dr. Pedro Quintero (August 2020-May 2023)
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Phase Changing Materials (PCMs) for Electronic Cooling mentored by Dr. Pedro Quintero (August 2019-May 2020)
January - May 2022
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
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Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Intern at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in Moffett Field, CA.
May 2019 - June 2020
RUM-Air Aero Design Team (Advanced Class Division and Project Management Department) [Click here for article]
September 2018 - May 2019
NASA RASC-AL UPRM Team [Click here]
Skills & Languages
WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE
Proficiency in SolidWorks, Siemens NX 12, and Fusion 360
Proficiency in AutoCAD LT, MATLAB, Python and Arduino
Speech and Communication Abilities
Content Writing and Editing
Project Management
English
Spanish
Awards
Undergraduate Poster Presentation winner in the Engineering category at SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference (2023) [Click here]
Dominion Energy’s Hispanic Higher Education Initiative Scholarship Fund Recipient (2023) [Click here]
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HACE’s Dr. Ervin “Vinny” Caraballo Scholarship Recipient (2023) [Click here]
Boston Scientific Scholarship Recipient (2022)
Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) Scholarship (2022) [Click here]
Andrés Calderón Scholarship (2022) [Click here]
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The Boeing Company Scholarship (2021, 2023)
Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Scholar (2021-Present)
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Evertec Scholarship (2021-Present)
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First Place at the SAE Aero Design Competition - Advanced Class (2020)
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First Place at the NASA RASC-AL Competition (2019)
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Lockheed Martin Scholarship (2019)
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E-PEARLS Scholarship (2018-Present)
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Medal of the Governor (2018)
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Rafael Carrion, Jr. Academic Excellence Award (2018)
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Extracurricular Activities
UPRM Research Fair Logistics Member
Space Workforce 2030
The Leadership Alliance SR-EIP
NASA's Aero Fair 2022
"Come Colegial" Volunteer
National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) member
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) member
National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) member
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) member