Manchester: the magic of summer

Last summer (2015) I got the opportunity to spend one month on the Research School at The University of Manchester and that’s what I want to talk about. How can I even start to explain it? Well… the first thought was ‘I’m living in the Harry Potter world’ (for real). There is some kind of magic in the air. Walking through the old streets under the light rain looking faces from different countries, being called ‘love’ by buses drivers, it all made me feel like I was in a movie. I could not believe it was actually happening until I was there.

With students, Prof Novoselov and Prof Alonso.

There were 53 more guys who attended the call, 53 amazing men and women that I fell in love with. We are family now. During the first week we attended lectures, workshops and English classes. The purpose of the stay was to participate on a contest; there were nine groups with six members each. We have to develop a product/process that could bring economic, environmental and health good by combining all our fields. My team was conformed by Civil, Biotechnology, Materials and Chemical Engineers, we all had worked on sustainable projects before so it was super easy to get an idea of what we could do. I’m so thankful for my team and mentors, Jeanette and Heike. I learned a bunch of stuff that doesn’t necessarily relate to my thesis but after all it was a very useful information.

I’m grateful for the people I met because they told me about research centers on Chihuahua and Mexico City, were I did apply for further projects and collaborations with amazing people. After I came back to Mexico, I spent most of the time traveling to Guanajuato, Queretaro and Mexico city. I kept contact with almost all of the people from the Research School and we are now looking forward to go back and study a PhD.

The Manchester experience opened the opportunity for us to start working on collaborations between Mexican institutes and universities. Personally, I’m working with a good friend, Bruno Flores from Autonomous University of Queretaro, whom I met in Manchester.

The day I met Prof. Novoselov (I was dying inside).

I’m still in love with my experience. Going to Manchester not only was good for me but also for my kids; a group of guys from high school that I’m tutoring and for them, looking that it is possible to travel and to get the opportunity to meet important people like Prof. Kostya Novoselov, it was a motivation to keep studying and to focus their interests in science (plus, they love science).

I couldn’t stop talking about Manchester… actually that’s sort of what I’ve done almost every day. If I got a chance I will do it all again.

MSc Paola Mendoza

Mechanical Engineering applied to Materials

Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, in Monterrey, Mexico