About Me

I'm Oscar Viquez, a graduate student in the department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, and part of the Institute's class of 2013. My academic interests extend over a large range of fields, but calling it "robotics, energy and transportation" is probably a good approximation. I've worked in marine propulsion, solar and geothermal power generation, electric and autonomous vehicles, custom CNC equipment, large steel structures, among other projects. A part of my appointment as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute's Laboratory for Autonomous Marine Sensing Systems, I am currently working in the field of Ocean Acoustics.

Beyond the technical realm, I am also an avid reader with a strong penchant for creative works, such as those by Jules Verne or Jim Butcher. I am always looking for new interesting texts to dive into, as the world around me reshapes with every page read. I might spend hours discovering music new to my ears, and will occasionally try my hand at new flavors in the kitchen.

Should I find myself in the midst of a good story, listening to a moving song, or otherwise inspired by experience or the outside world, I will occasionally dabble in the expressive artform of graphite on paper. And as my parents and their parents have done, I will at times sit by the computer, or with a notebook at hand to let words flow, to fill the pages.

No, I am not a novelist, and I am no painter or especially good cook either. But I believe we have the power to grow, learn, adapt, improve, as our world shifts from one moment to the next. In the words of José Hernández (quoted by Facundo Cabral, beloved latinamerican composer), "no pinta quien tiene ganas, sino quien sabe pintar." And what better teacher than experience, to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality?