Oscar Mondragon

UTEP has been part of my life for the last seven years. I first came to UTEP in 1997 to negotiate deadlines for a collaborative project, called Modularly Configured Attached Processors, between the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UTEP and the Computer Science Department at ITESM-México. The project was sponsored by NSF and CONACYT. After a year and a half, I successfully finished my part of the project. During this time, I came to UTEP several times to show my progress in the project. The last couple of visits, Dr. Sergio Cabrera, one of the researchers, started asking me to pursue a Ph.D. My answer was, “thanks, but no thanks.” The Ph.D. was like an unreachable mountain. 

Back at ITESM, the administration wanted me to start a Ph.D. program so I submitted an application to CONACYT –Mexico for a scholarship. I applied to three universities. Dr. Cabrera asked me to join the Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. program, but I didn’t want to go into computer engineering since I already had a Master’s in Computer Science and had been working as a consultant in Software Engineering in México. Then Dr. Cabrera introduced me to Dr. Ann Gates at the CS Department. I felt comfortable with her since the first meeting. She talked about the Systems and Software Affinity Lab (SSEAL) and the research that she was doing in Software Engineering. I like the idea since the beginning. I was also accepted at Lancaster University in England to work with a recognized researcher in Software Engineering. My bachelor friends were going to England, but I wanted to get married and my girlfriend preferred somewhere in America. The decision was not easy. One friend told me that the relation with your advisor is very important because your advisor will be your academic father or mother and you will share with him/her the next five years of your life. 

Dr. Ann Q. Gates, my advisor, played an important role in my decision. I have learned many things from her such as writing skills, tolerance, persistence, and the compromise for high quality work. During my Ph. D. studies, I have been exposed to many challenges and opportunities. For instance, I received an internship at AT&T Labs, where I was working with students from other top universities; I attended the Doctoral Symposium at the International Conference on Software Engineering, the premier conference in software engineering, where I received positive reviews on my dissertation proposal; and two internships at the Real Time Systems Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, where I was able to work with top researchers in formal verification. The economical challenge was always present. In this matter, I have been really fortunate. Dr Gates greatly helped me through research assistantships and by writing recommendation letters for scholarships and fellowships. The graduate school at UTEP provided assistance in attending conferences.

The Systems and Software Engineering Affinity Laboratory has been a unique experience at UTEP. This is a lab where undergraduate and graduate students do research and where senior graduate students serve as mentors for undergraduate and new graduate students. I feel fortunate because I had the opportunity to help people and especially to make new friends. Although the work is hard, the environment helps to make your long hours in the lab an enjoyable time. All hard work has its rewards. The long hours in the lab and Dr. Gates’ office resulted in papers that have been published in two workshops, four international conferences, and two international journals. I received a best paper recognition for a paper submitted to the International Conference on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering. I am very happy.

I received the Fulbright scholarship to do my Master’s at California State University at Sacramento. At UTEP, I received the Cotton scholarship, the Dodson Doctoral Fellowship, and the nomination for the Outstanding CS graduate student for 2004. I also got certified as “Certified Software Engineering Practitioner, (CSEP)” in 2002 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).