Posted on August 20, 2025 by Elizabeth Sage Armstrong, Summer Bridge Program Participant
Students at SwRI Group Photo
I had the chance to visit the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) headquarters in San Antonio through UTSA’s Engineering Bridge Program, led by Carlos Velez. We were welcomed by Veronica Pacheco, the Outreach Program Manager, who guided us through each part of the visit and really held the whole tour together. The first stop on our schedule was with Tony Magaro, Vice President of Human Resources. He gave us a warm welcome and a great overview of SwRI’s deep roots in innovation and industry as well as some humorous stories.
After that, our group split into two. One group, led by Chris Storey from the Ocean Simulation Lab, explored how mechanical engineering is used in real-world applications. We saw how SwRI is developing pressurized treatments for metal tubing that will be used in deep sea which was really fascinating. The other group visited the Fire Technology Center with Alexandra Schluneker and Jason Huczek. They showed us some of the work being done at the frontlines of fire safety research.
We all came back together to check out SwRI’s Space Systems area with Research Engineer Tyler Barnes. This was a favorite for a lot of us. We got to go inside the acoustic testing rooms where parts headed for space are put through tough durability tests. We ended the day with a Q&A panel where we could talk directly with engineers who specialize in different fields.
This whole experience was thanks to UTSA’s Engineering Bridge Program. It gives a group of incoming engineering students the chance to move in early, take refresher classes in chemistry and calculus, and go on tours of different kinds of engineering workplaces like SwRI. We get the opportunity to adapt to the new college setting, create networking relationships, and to become set for success in our future classes. The program has made starting college so much smoother for me, and I’m really thankful to Carlos Velez for leading it and to UTSA for supporting incoming engineering students like me.
— Elizabeth Sage Armstrong, Summer Bridge Program Participant
