Irwin J. Alcantara

• Patti Grace Smith Fellow, Class of 2023

• University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Mechanical Engineering, ‘24

• Host Institution: Gravitics

Irwin J. Alcantara is a 4th-year mechanical engineering student from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. His passion for space started at a very young age, and since then, he has been determined to make an impact to the aerospace industry. Since starting university, Irwin began to look for aerospace-related research opportunities where he could grow and create a strong network with professors and mentors that share the same passion and could help propel his career forward. Irwin’s highest achievement so far has been to be a Finalist in the aerospace competition called NASA RASC-AL, where he had the opportunity to present a mission concept to extract water from Mars to produce propellant that would fuel future manned missions to the red planet. Now, he is focusing on other undergraduate research and gaining as much experience as possible to create a clear path to achieve his career goals and ambitions to make an impact in human space exploration.