7/29/2019 Harvest's Statement of Purpose

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Harvest Montemayor Statement of Purpose hmm62@nau.edu

While working as a welder, I was repairing a pipe bending machine when my boss said to me, “You

should be an engineer”. We then discussed the differences between white and blue collar jobs. I had

never thought about pursuing more education; I was cultivating my skills, working two welding jobs and

waitressing at night, but my boss had put a seed of inspiration in my mind. It was encouraging to have

someone believe in me, and although I was happy with my jobs, I finally decided to apply to a university.

Being fortunate enough to receive the Pell and SMART grants for all three years at Northern Arizona

University (NAU), I completed my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I will never forget the

feeling of unanimity I enjoyed in my engineering classes. It was the first time that I knew I was right

where I belonged and the first time I felt surrounded by people who thought the way I did. This

confirmed my conviction to become an engineer.

I became interested in renewable energy systems while being exposed to power generation in

thermodynamics. I asked myself a complicated question; if our society relies on power to achieve prolific

growth, how can we make enough safe, reliable energy for everyone, today and tomorrow? As diverse

and complex as our civilizations are, I believe the answer cannot be solved with a single solution. It will

take many different methods accounting for each individual environment and community responsibly.

There was only one class offered at NAU for renewable energy, and it was one of my favorite classes. I

would like to be exposed to additional dynamic concepts about making energy for our society throughthe graduate program at the University of Utah. To pursue my goal in conscientiously furthering

renewable energy systems, I would benefit from more experience in environmental policy, regulation

and marketability of these systems. I am also interested in the hands-on practice attainable with

research and cooperation offered in a collegiate environment.

My research interests revolve around power generation and alternative fuels. This includes renewable

energy, heat storage, biomass and energy-from-waste. I enjoy lab or field work, am confident in a

machine shop and would prefer a mix of the three. I am particularly interested in Dr. Kent Udell’s

research in energy storage, and his understanding of the importance of marketability. I especially

admire his involvement with the Center for Sustainability Research which promotes alliances across

campus. I believe these collaborations are crucial for future improvements in productive developments

because team work relies on a multitude of experiences for success.

Team work was an important aspect of my senior design project at NAU. Our team designed and

produced an assistive device for a violin bow used by a 13 year old musician who was born with only two

fingers on her left hand (unilateral ectrodactyly). Our individual skills were shared together and resulted

in a product that was functionally and analytically proven to be an improvement over the young

musician’s previous devices. I was able to learn a great deal about customer relations, data analysis and

hone my own manufacturing and design experience while working on this team. Synthesizing new skills

is a major part of self improvement, and working on a team facilitated this. It is not to be said that

individual success is impossible, but drawing from a multifaceted pool of knowledge is certainly

beneficial.

A graduate degree from the University of Utah is an important step toward my future goals; allowing me

to further cultivate my interests in developing responsible energy by gaining experience in my chosen

field. I would enjoy working for a company who looks to the natural environment or refines refuse for

fuel and electricity generation. An important aspect of my belief system is using resources that are

abundant to create energy that do not produce toxic by-products. I would also be interested in

professional research on the aforementioned topics using collaboration from diverse fields. I trust that

by completing a graduate degree I will be more desirable to a company I can believe in and enjoy a

career that is satisfying, where I can contribute to a science that is beneficial to our society.