This week, we have met with Aitor Palomanes, the winner of the Bellapart Grant 2020. As a student of the Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MMS) Master of Science, this scholarship has allowed Aitor to complete his master thesis on a topic proposed by Bellapart, at Bellapart’s headquarters.
We look forward to finding out more about him, why did he chose engineering as a career, what drove him to the MMS Master and the Bellapart Grant and how his final project is developing in Bellapart.
- Aitor, tell us about yourself, what is your background?
Aitor- I am a mechanical engineer, I studied my bachelor’s degree at Universitat de Girona, I started on 2016 and I finished last year, 2020 .
- How did you come to study Master MMS?
Aitor- I wanted to expand more my knowledge in materials and in mechanics of materials. I heard good references about this master, it interested me and I applied. And I really like it.
- So you are happy with your choice.
Aitor- Yes, I am.
- About your path, your career, what do you love the most of being an engineer?
Aitor- Being able to face technical challenging problems and then overcoming them. Those are some problems that not a lot of people can face.
- That its absolutely true!
Aitor- And I find this really enjoyable. All the process, from the difficult part of thinking how do I have to do things to the part where I solve it and it works, of course.
- What drove you to apply to the Bellapart Grant?
Aitor- I heard good references about Bellapart during my Bachelor’s Degree, and also from some colleagues that work here. So I wanted to give it a try! I did some research, and the first building that I looked into was the Bombay Sapphire Glasshouses and it impressed me.
- How is it going so far?
Aitor- I have almost finished the master and it’s been good. Due to the pandemic we did it in dual mode: some of us on the classroom and some from their homes (in their countries). Even though the situation is not ideal, I think that it is really interesting to know people from other countries and this master allowed us to do so.
- How about your master’s final project?
Aitor- The project is really interesting and very challenging! Because there is a lot of technical difficulties that we don’t exactly know how to solve them yet.
- What’s the best thing about the Master + Bellapart experience?
Aitor- The best thing is being able to apply the academic background that I have in mechanical engineering and what I have learnt on the master to a real case.
The project involves simulations and using software that I studied on the master. Now I have the opportunity to apply all that academic knowledge in a real work situation, where I can produce at a company level and it is really enriching.
- What would you like to share with future applicants of the Bellapart Grant?
Aitor- This is a great opportunity! Bellapart is a great company, they are doing incredible projects and being able to get in touch with those projects and combine that with the things that you learn in the master I believe is a really interesting scenario that I recommend to everyone.
- Thank you very much Aitor for sharing your experience! See you on the informative webinar that will take place on July 21, 2021 4pm (Informative webinar of the Bellapart Grant)