Dr. Irma Becerra-Fernandez knew in eighth grade that she had a knack for mechanical engineering after taking an aptitude test at her high school in Puerto Rico, but she had no interest in the profession since her teacher couldn’t explain the field. Becerra-Fernandez didn’t give engineering a second thought until she took an electrical engineering course at the University of Miami, causing her to switch her major from math to engineering.
Becerra-Fernandez went on to earn her undergraduate and master’s from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in engineering from Florida International University, where she rose through the ranks from a visiting professor to vice president of engagement. Though Becerra-Fernandez focused on mathematics, one experience in her early years motivated her to take the school’s STEM program in a different direction.
“I didn’t know what a resistor was, and the boys made fun of me for it,” she says. “I started with a disadvantage. I had shortcomings because I had never played with these things as a kid.”
Under the leadership of FIU President Mark Rosenberg, Becerra-Fernandez is changing that lack of exposure to resources for underrepresented minorities through a number of initiatives, including the Life Sciences South Florida initiative, which strives to foster innovation by supporting nascent science, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries; create programs to increase STEM student and work force development; and recruit and retain talent in the South Florida region. There is also a partnership between FIU and Miami-Dade Public Schools, known as The Education Effect, which prepares high school students for college.
“What inspired [Dr. Rosenberg]—and, of course, I ascribe to the same ideals—is to prepare a more diverse work force,” Becerra-Fernandez explains. “We have moved beyond the formative stage, and our contributions are starting to make an impact.”
FIU has doubled its dual-enrollment numbers through The Education Effect with Miami Northwestern, a predominantly Black and Hispanic high school in the area. Students can take college courses for college credit and are able to visit FIU for academic enrichment. With a $1 million grant from the JP Morgan Foundation, Miami Northwestern will be getting an aquaponics lab and an organic garden. The aquaponics lab, a space dedicated to cultivating plants and nurturing aquatic animals in a recirculating environment, will be the first in Miami-Dade County.
