fellows2009_perePere Pla Juncà was born in Banyoles in 1985. He graduated from the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyers de Camins Canals i Ports de Barcelona (ETSECCPB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in 2009, where he obtained the degree of Civil Engineer. He worked for PEDELTA S.L. in 2008 and 2009. PEDELTA S.L. is a company focused on the area of civil engineering and building and specialized in structures. He worked side by side with experienced professional engineers in bridge projects. In 2009, he was awarded a Balsells Fellowship to pursue graduate studies in structural engineering at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests are in performance – based design of bridges. He enjoys playing soccer and playing piano.

 

fellows2009_miquelMiquel Izquierdo Ustrell was born in Sabadell (Barcelona) in 1983. In 2007, he graduated in Electrical Engineering from the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeries(ETSE) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona(UAB); and in 2009, he graduated in Computer Science from the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeries also at UAB. During his senior college year (2008-2009), he was awarded a Mobilitat scholarship to study at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He has been working for more than three years in the Hardware-Software Prototypes and Solutions Lab (CEPHIS), in the microelectronics department at his home university (http://cephis.uab.es) programming and configuring embedded systems. In the summer of 2009, he was awarded a Balsells Fellowship to pursue graduate studies in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests are in embedded systems and WSN. He enjoys travelling, cinema and learning from other cultures from all over the world.

 

fellows2009_miguelMiguel Anaya Santiago was born in Barcelona in 1985. He graduated from the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyers Industrials de Barcelona (ETSEIB) in June 2009, where he obtained the degree of Chemical engineer. He spent his senior college year (2008-2009) at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Canada. He completed all the courses and pursued and undergraduate thesis on bioethanol production from wheat and corn fermentation. It was really interesting because of the implications that biofuels may have in the following years. In 2009, Miguel was awarded a Balsells fellowship for pursing a Master Science in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, at UC Irvine. His research interests are related to environmental areas, such as wastewater treatment plants, air pollution and recycling processes. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, meeting new people and living in an international environment, swimming and listening to music.

 

fellows2009_enricEnric Grustan Gutiérrez was born in Barcelona (Catalunya) in 1982. He was admitted to TIME (Top Industrial Managers for Europe) double degree program and received a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Padua (Italy) and in Mechanical Engineering from Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial (ETSEIB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in 2007. He completed his Master’s thesis in the department of Technical Physics at the University of Padua. His thesis involved in the development of mathematical models to analyze the performance of porous heat exchangers. In his professional working experience, Enric worked as a mechanical engineer at X-Ray Imatek. As a lead engineer, he helped to create the machinery for the development of a new digital mammography sensor. In the summer of 2009, he was awarded a Balsells Fellowship to pursue a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). His research interest is in space propulsion. He enjoys almost any kind of outdoor activity, especially: rock climbing, trekking, biking, ski mountaineering and surfing. He also enjoys drawing, reading compulsively and likes to travel as much as he can.