Student Profile – Antonio Hueso-Fernandez

Let’s give a  big College of Engineering hello to your fellow student, Antonio Hueso-Fernandez, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. Antonio was born and raised in the town of Pajaro which lies in a corner of Watsonville, California. Watsonville is known in general for its agriculture, more specifically for its strawberries.

Antonio’s mother was born and raised in Michoacan, Mexico, and came to the United States
after she married his father. Antonio’s mother did not have an opportunity to pursue higher education here in the United States. His father was born and raised in Watsonville and did not initially go the college route but after getting married, he soon realized that higher education would give him the best chance at supporting a new family. Antonio’s father graduated from San José State University (SJSU) with a degree in electrical engineering in 2008.

“From an early age, both of my parents instilled the idea of higher education into my siblings and me. They made many sacrifices to give us the best opportunity to pursue a college degree,” said Antonio.  His parents were delighted that he chose SJSU because of its proximity and the fact that his father also attended.

His father’s co-workers allowed him to shadow them which gave him insights into different types of engineering especially in mechanical engineering. “I enjoyed both the hands-on and computer-aided design aspects of mechanical engineering. Having the ability to see your creative mind go to work designing any object and seeing it physically is something that is truly magical,” he added.

This past summer Antonio interned at Nokia as a Mechanical Design Engineer, where he was given a detailed 10-week program from Jimmy Huynh, an employee at the company. This program consisted of various professional presentations and projects that helped the interns enhance their skills and learn some new ones. Antonio learned geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), conducting thermal and static loads with computational fluid dynamics (CFDs), and understanding multiple manufacturing processes in this training program. The opportunity gave Antonio unique insight into the workforce, shaping his professional career.

Antonio’s advice for someone trying to land either an internship or a new grad opportunity is to apply to as many as possible and to network with everyone! His internship at Nokia was a direct result of someone who got him in contact with the right person. He also suggests getting involved with student organizations, because that is where you can expand your professional network.

After he graduates Antonio plans on joining a company that is a global leader in its space but is open to all industries. He has aspirations of putting in the hard work and eventually becoming a CEO. With this goal in mind, he must first accomplish some milestones which include graduating from a master’s program in mechanical engineering, and then potentially pursuing a PhD program.

LightPoint lab dedication and ribbon cutting

This week, a ribbon cutting and plaque reveal event was held at the College of Engineering. LitePoint, a player in the semiconductor testing industry, had their company’s name attached to two labs:  IS lab E117 and the Dan Cheadle lab in E238.

LitePoint specializes in manufacturing equipment to help its customers develop and deliver new products quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.  The company generously donated 5G test equipment to the College of Engineering.  This will enable students to further their knowledge with the latest testing technology.

Thanks to LitePoint for the donation and for helping the CoE continue the tradition of hands-on learning for students.

Customers raise concerns of 23andMe’s handling of genetic information featuring Prof. Ahmed Banafa

Concerns have been raised about how 23andMe could potentially handle customer information due to the company’s uncertain future.  In 2023, 23andme was hacked and around 7 million customers’ DNA information was exposed. All 7 board members recently resigned making the public wonder what will happen to the company. The South San Francisco-based DNA and ancestry company is currently floundering, and customers have raised concerns about what may happen to their personal information if the company is sold.

SJSU technology expert, Professor Ahmed Banafa weighed in on the discussion in a recent interview with NBC Bay Area.  See the interview and read the full story here.