2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In 2019, looking for a life-changing experience in their students, the educational model of a private university in Mexico evolved. Henceforth, the teaching method is currently based on active learning, connected to the real challenges of the environment and enhanced by technology. The academic structure is divided into three main stages: Exploration, Focus, and Specialization. During this last stage, each student designs his own path, choosing among concentrations, internships, and exchanges.
Considering that research in higher education enhances durable skills in students and benefits faculty members of the university, this paper presents how four different proposals of research internships have nurtured research talents and encouraged students to develop their “science identity”, when they are exposed to diverse perspectives and experiences at undergraduate level.
The research internship proposals are designed to foster applied research in the field of engineering technology; henceforth, collaborations with state-owned and private enterprises are carried out. Here, partnerships have a key role in students, avoiding the false impression that research is time-wasting. In the research internship titled “Implementation of Advanced Control Strategies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)”, the student designed and implemented a hierarchical model predictive control (MPC) for three-dimensional trajectory tracking using a quadrotor of Quanser® company. Experimental tests were performed at the laboratory of a private university in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., supported by, or in part by, the U. S. Army Research Laboratory and the U. S. Army Research Office. Additionally, the research internship titled “Dynamic Simulation of crude oil and gas plants using Aspen – Hysys® in collaboration with Pemex Exploración y Producción” was aimed to develop an accurate modelling simulation of a crude oil and gas plant using Aspen HYSYS® environment in dynamic mode. Hence, design and sizing equipment for each stage of the processes was described in detail, and a comparison between the simulation results and plant data was carried out. According to the research internship titled “Embedded optimization techniques for multivariable control strategies improvement”, the student used MPC and developed his own method to improve the time execution for obstacle avoidance in holonomic robots. Finally, in the research internship titled “Engineering AI Solutions for Early Detection, Prediction, and Prevention of Mental Health Disorders”, the student integrated predictive models and machine learning to identify anxiety or depression in early stage.
The outcomes of these research works are two papers published in indexed journals Q1 in 2024, two manuscripts accepted for publication, in the 2025 22nd International Conference on Electrical Engineering, Computing Science and Automatic Control (CCE) and in the Institute for the Future Education (IFE) Conference 2026, and two manuscripts under review in indexed journals Q1. This, in collaboration of undergraduate students of different disciplines, faculty members of Mexican and American universities, engineers of industry partnerships and a member of the psychiatric Mexican conseil. Finally, this contributed to enrolling three students in the Master program, one of them graduated, and another student in the Doctoral program, allowing them to progress in their career path.