PILOTING NEW DESIGN

Jessica Vargas Hernandez helps build a helicopter simulator for Vidant flight nurses

Vargas Hernandez measures pieces for the simulator.

Designing the inside of a helicopter is just as hard as it sounds, but Pirate Jessica Vargas Hernandez used her skills and knowledge to complete the task through her summer internship.

Vargas Hernandez, a senior at East Carolina University, is double majoring in biomedical engineering and bioprocess engineering.

“This internship challenged me to do things I never thought I would do,” she said.

The Regional Innovation Strategies Summer Internship Program is a competitive program open to ECU undergraduates as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. ECU’s grant is titled eNC Innovates!

The task at hand was to recreate the inside of a EC145 helicopter for training Vidant EastCare flight nurses on the ground while simulating the experience of flying.

“Her experience in engineering and her background brought a wealth of knowledge to the team,” said Jim Menke, director of military engagement and advisor for the project.

Vargas Hernandez works on the simulator.

Vargas Hernandez and the rest of the team had the opportunity to fly with EastCare and experience the real-world environment of being inside a helicopter before starting the project.

Biomedical engineering and bioprocess engineering are challenging majors, but Vargas Hernandez says her love for learning and high interest in biology, chemistry, math and electronics made choosing those majors an easy decision.

“My main inspiration would be my mom, who always encouraged me to pursue my interests and find a career that would make me happy. As a first-generation graduate-to-be, she has helped me along the entire way to make my career possible,” she said.

Though the rest of the team brought a lot of creativity and design to the project, Vargas Hernandez provided most of the engineering expertise, Menke said.

“Jessica brought what I like to call the nuts and bolts of the project together,” Menke said.

Vargas Hernandez hopes to find a workplace after college that allows her to continue learning and challenges her to find new solutions for humans.

The other team members included fellow seniors Lia Cameron, animation and psychology major; Alexander “Rojo” Stoehr, animation major; and Alexander Jestness, industrial technology major.