Reflections on My reasons for studying Technology and Policy (TP

My reasons for studying Technology and Policy (TP) at MIT are quite personal due to my desire to give back and contribute to our home country, Puerto Rico. I have always had the will to do something of my own and then support those who have supported me. My homeland, Puerto Rico, has given me the strength to advance forward and now I want to do something for it as well. Based on the knowledge I have acquired during my college years, implementing policies in a country can enable a better structure, partnerships among countries, and a likelihood of interest from investors to support technologies needed to ameliorate our economy.

It can be said that with the integration of new and stronger policies, a country can be lifted from pebbles to a higher standard. For example, we suffer from technical gaps in decisions made by our government on ambitious projects which are generally discontinued or paralyzed due to improper planning and strategic design. Such projects can make the economy unstable and I don't wish for such an adverse thing happening to my beloved country. Unfortunately, this ambiguity applies not only to Puerto Rico but in many other countries especially in remote region locations like ours. Such plans have to be very careful and well-strategized because they can either benefit or worsen the country’s economy. I want to become a global leader, who improves this issue of intersection between industry and local governments when making technical decisions related to my expertise. I want to make sure that the decisions made by governments are strong so that a country is helped and not downtrodden.

My proposed studies at MIT could benefit our home country. After all, not I will have the knowledge backing me up but I will also have the dedication to make sure that my home country is benefitted from what I possess at the moment. Space policy interests me due to my astronautical engineering degrees, the international agreements, and regulations that prevent small nations like Puerto Rico from partaking in the efforts of satellite monitoring platforms. Since I now have skills regarding what is missing from the country. Utilizing my expertise, I will be able to improve the efficiency of space policies in Puerto Rico. 

During my graduate studies and job at NASA, I have been exposed to the development and process of manufacturing of small satellite platforms. My time there has served as a trampoline for me to jump up to a higher level and get the experience of what I need to do to pay back to my country. The advantage of bringing this sector to our country lies on the opportunity to increase the number of jobs on the island, and to provide an access of data that could benefit our farmers with crop optimization, law enforcement with strong surveillance, and communication links, especially in emergencies such as natural disasters. As you know, many Puerto Ricans have migrated to the mainland U.S throughout the years to reach desired jobs including ones in the space sector. The talent has transferred because my country was lacking and it was doesn’t settle down with me because I wish to invest in my own country where space will be better in time. Fortunately, a new generation of Puerto Ricans has found initiatives, during the past decades, to bring the astronautic sector to the island. We already are benefitting from some of these efforts with the development of the Arecibo Observatory, spaceport, and U.S. space programs to encourage more students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Consequently, professionals with technical backgrounds would be required to train in policy to create procedures and legal frameworks to support more innovative and technical efforts.

I seek to study Technology and Policy at MIT to explore the social and economic issues contributing to the low achievement of small nations in entering the industry of satellite development and remote sensing. My goal is to provide technical expertise to government and industries to enable access and opportunities to these countries. I am confident that my solid technical background along with the resources from MIT would help me reach my professional goals.