2019-Joaquin Font

Joaquin Font

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Dual Degree: Economics w/ Certificate in Financial Policy and Analysis

300 Word Statement

Finding a college with a strong engineering program that would also allow me to pursue my passion for economics, provide me with hands-on research opportunities, foster my robotics and programming skills, and allow me to give back to the community, while still having some free time to keep up with my running routine seemed impossible at first. However, when I found Lafayette, and its motto of “Cur Non”, I knew that I had chosen the home that would allow me to continue to pursue my diverse interests. This attitude, which I embraced the day I decided to embark on a journey over 5,000 miles from my home (like the Marquis, himself), has constantly pushed me to leave my comfort zone and quite literally say ‘why not?’ whenever I am presented with a new opportunity.

Believing in ‘Cur Non’, I walked into an unknown professor’s office as a sophomore, and began three years of research in mechanical engineering that led to a thesis on deer-vehicle collision avoidance systems for self-driving cars. More importantly, it provided me with a mentor who was always willing to go out of his way to teach me advanced programming skills despite me never taking a computer science class. Cur Non has also encouraged me to take a class outside of my major that introduced me to a rewarding volunteering opportunity at Third Street Alliance, and pushed me to keep up with my running routine, as I am training to run a half-marathon before I graduate.

Cur Non. Why Not? Little did I know the impact this two-word phrase would have, and continues to have, on me and the person I have grown into. As graduation quickly approaches and I look back at my time at Lafayette, I can gratefully say I have done it all.

Academic Activities/Awards – Total Years Involved

  • Marquis Fellow/Dean’s List (4)

I have been granted the Marquis Fellowship, Lafayette’s highest merit-based award, upon admission to the College. Recipients of the Fellowship display the Marquis’ ideals of global citizenship, scholarly pursuits, leadership, and concern for others. I am also proud to have been included in the Dean’s List for every semester that I have been a student at Lafayette. Dean’s List is awarded to students achieving at least a 3.60 GPA during the semester.

  • Honors Thesis in Mechanical Engineering (1)

My Honors Thesis in Mechanical Engineering studies deer-vehicle collision avoidance systems for self-driving cars and is titled “Determining map-Referenced Safe Speeds for Autonomous Driving in High-Risk Deer-Vehicle Collision Areas”. In a world in which autonomous driving may dominate the way people will go from a point A to a point B, developing effective controllers to aid in the avoidance of deer-vehicle collisions is crucial to enhance the safety of autonomous cars. Part of developing effective controllers includes determining the maximum safe speed at which a self-driving car should drive on a particular section of road to effectively avoid collisions against obstacles, especially large, unpredictable animals like deer that might appear. Hence, the study works on creating a simplified model for deer behavior during road crossings, and test it against an autonomous driver to find the maximum speed at which it would be safe for a car to drive in a particular stretch of road to safely avoid a collision with a potential deer.

  • William G. McLean Tau Beta Pi Prize (1)

I was awarded the William G. McLean Tau Beta Pi Prize during the spring semester of 2017. This price is awarded to a sophomore engineering student based on academic performance, campus citizenship, and professional orientation.

  • EXCEL Research Scholar (2)

I have been doing research under the supervision of Prof. Alexander Brown in the Mechanical Engineering department since the spring semester of 2017. My research originally focused on studying the dynamics of an open-source driving simulator, and later shifted into designing a collision avoidance model predictive controller (MPC) for a simulated autonomous vehicle. I performed research during the academic year on a volunteer basis and as part of an independent study, and later became an EXCEL Scholar during the summer of 2018.

  • Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society (2)

Inducted in my Junior year into Lafayette’s only Engineering Honor Society. I proceeded to serve as Vice-President during my Junior spring and Senior fall semesters, position in which I contributed to the organization of events and helped with new member initiation. I also attended the annual Tau Beta Pi conference in Denver, CO, on October 2018.

  • Phi Beta Kappa Liberal Arts and Sciences Honor Society (2)

Inducted in my Junior year spring semester, into the oldest honor society for the liberal arts and sciences in the United States.

  • Omicron Delta Epsilon International Economics Honor Society (1)

Inducted into the Economics Honor Society in my Senior year spring semester.

  • Physics SI Leader (3)

I have been serving as a supplemental instructor for PHYS 111, 112, 131, and 133 since spring semester of 2017. I attend regular lectures, organize review sessions, and hold drop-in hours to help students with their homework and to prepare for exams. I find tutoring other students to be particularly rewarding, and I usually find myself helping friends review material and study for exams.

  • American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) (4)

I was involved in ASME as a member during my Freshman year, as the club treasurer during my Sophomore year, and finally as the president during my Junior year. I organized mechanical engineering related events such as lunch talks (including bringing former astronaut Terry Hart to present about his experiences in outer-space to Lafayette students), professor research presentations, and engineering week activities. As the president of the club I also oversaw the StratoSat Rocketry Club and the Robotics Club, both of which are part of ASME. As a Senior, I know continue to participate as a Senior Adviser, by helping and supporting the current members of the board.

  • Language Lab Assistant & E-Portfolio Manager – Spanish (2)

I worked at the Language Lab during my Freshman and Sophomore years as a Spanish assistant and E-Portfolio manager. As part of my job, I helped students improve their language skills by both holding conversation sessions, as well as by reading their E-Portfolios and providing them with feedback.

Campus Services/Activities and Awards – Total Years Involved

  • Resident Adviser (2)

Served as a wellness Resident Adviser during my Sophomore and Junior years in the first and second floors of Watson Hall. My roles included creating a sense of community, maintaining a safe living environment, organizing monthly programs, all while promoting all six dimensions of wellness.

  • Head Resident (1)

I currently serve as the Head Resident for Farber, Ramer, and Watson Halls. I am responsible for managing a total of 11 Resident Advisers and helping them build a sense of community in their floors, while providing support at addressing facility concerns and policy violations.

  • StratoSat Rocketry Club (4)

I was a member of the StratoSat Rocketry club, and became the team’s co-leader during my Sophomore year. During my time in the club, we worked on the design and manufacturing of a model rocket equipped with telemetry equipment that could be successfully launched and recovered. We also worked on obtaining all the necessary permits and insurance information to be able to legally launch within the state of Pennsylvania.

  • Admissions Ambassador (4)

I give weekly tours of campus to prospective students and their families, participate in panels and Q&A sessions, and host current high school students for admission related events.

  • International Students (4)

As an international student, I have been a member of ISA since my first semester on campus, and have contributed in the organization of events and activities that help display the different countries and cultures present at Lafayette. Such events include Extravaganza Week and the famous ISA’s food tasting events, both held every year in the spring semester.

  • Marquis Dynamic Assessment Day Shepherd (4)

As a Marquis Fellow, I have volunteered as a shepherd in all Dynamic Assessment Experiences, an event in which high school seniors who have applied to Lafayette and are being considered for the Marquis Fellowship are invited to campus. As a shepherd, I helped to coordinate the event by guiding participants around campus and answering questions.

Community Service – Total Years Involved

  • Third Street Alliance Share the Care (1)

I volunteered at Third Street Alliance’s Share the Care program for senior citizens, which specializes on people with dementia. I used to spend the afternoon with the people who attended the program, and helped them brighten their days by listening to their stories and playing games.

  • TECHO – Argentina (4)

I have volunteered at TECHO Argentina while on breaks at home, a non-profit international organization that builds houses for families living in extreme poverty conditions within Latin America. As a volunteer, I helped in the building process during weekends, and contributed to the fund-raising program.

Athletics Activity/Award – Total Years Involved

  • Running Club (4)

Running has always been something that I have enjoyed as a way of taking a break from my daily routine, and you can find me frequently running around the trails in Easton. I have been running on my own since before I came to Lafayette, and I joined the running club during my Junior year and have attended weekly practice since then.

Special Interest – Total Years Involved

  • The Linde Group – R&D Intern (2)

I worked full time over the past two summer as an intern at the Cryogenic Food & Beverage Freezing & Chilling Research & Development Team at the Linde Group, one of the three largest industrial gas companies in the world. My tasks included designing efficiency improving packages for liquid nitrogen and liquid carbon dioxide based cryogenic industrial freezers that are used in the frozen food industry by large companies such as Tyson Foods. I also contributed by designing and testing prototypes that helped in the development of the new patent-pending Cryoline CWI Cryowave Impingement Freezer.