Valentina identifies as a very curious person, who is interested in how things work and has always been passionate about airplanes. Today, that girl from before, and after six years of studies at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), she became the the country’s first female aerospace engineer.
On the other side of the phone line, Valentina opens up to infobae and he says that he does not stop taking calls or answering messages on Whatsapp. “It’s been several days since my discharge was announced, but my phone keeps ringing. I think it is because it is a career that few women choose and seeing one received is perhaps surprising. If this motivates more girls to study this exciting career, welcome. And hopefully my testimony will serve to change the mentality of many who think they can’t do it. You have to have motivation, interest and do what you want,” he said. 23-year-old Valentina Marletta, who began studying this new pioneering career in Argentina in 2017.
Valentina clarifies that although it was the first woman to graduate, there are already more than a dozen aerospace engineers received at the UNLPbeing david williams the first graduate who had the new career created thanks to the vision of the academic authorities, who modified the curriculum a few years ago and turned the Aeronautics career into Aerospace.
“I started studying Aeronautics and halfway through the degree the dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the UNLP, the aeronautical engineer Marcos Actis he had the vision of promoting change by following the most advanced academic trends in the world”, recognized Valentina, who had been very curious about aeronautics since she was a girl and wanted to study everything related to airplanes.
“It is a more up-to-date career and with more optional subjects related to space. It brings us closer to what is happening in the world in an international way. In addition, the faculty has a high quality of teachers. There are many possibilities to learn in a practical way from the excellent professors we have, who often get involved in the projects we propose”, said the graduate with an average of 9.11 out of 10.
The UNLP Aerospace Engineering career, created in 2020, It has a wide range of topics that apply not only to the field of aeronautics or aerospace. “All the jobs that are done at the Faculty are an example of everything that can be done,” declared Marletta.
Currently, the brand new engineer is an assistant in some subjects of this house of studies such as the renowned “Fluid Mechanics” and is a fellow in the Computational Fluid Dynamics Group of the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
“I come from a university family, but I am a bit of a black sheep…. Mom and dad are doctors and I have three older brothers who are doctors too. Choosing this path was taking a completely different course, without any reference from anyone. But my family and friends always supported me and with the support of my friends from the Faculty, and the professors I met along the way, it wasn’t that difficult”, Valentina was honest, who in the future will seek to do a master’s degree abroad to specialize.
“I am particularly interested in the area of fluids and aerodynamics, which is applicable to a lot of industries besides aeronautics. I would love to work on aerodynamic design and optimization in Formula 1. It is one of my dreams, ”he assured.
“Formula 1?” asked infobae and immediately revealed one of his great passions. The speed and aerodynamics of the fastest cars on the planet: “In the aerospace race we see the aeronautics and space part, but many of the concepts we see are applied in other industries.. I like aerodynamics and applied to cars. That they have less resistance, more adherence to the ground and that they go faster. As you can see, I love Formula 1”, commented Valentina, who doesn’t miss a single race in the highest category.
Marcos Actis congratulated Valentina for the effort and commitment shown all these years to study and graduate. “She is an extraordinary and very valuable girl. For us it is a pride to have the first graduate of Aerospace Engineering in Argentina. There are many girls who are studying the degree and many others are entering. It makes us very happy that this race is not just for men. We will continue working so that more and more women join in,” said the dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
“When I was an Aeronautics student, I told myself that if one day I had to be the authority of this house of studies, many things would change, such as studying the Aerospace career and that the treatment between students and teachers would not be so distant. Before the 1970s, one studied Aeronautics and if he passed one more year, he graduated with the Aerospace specialty. But then he took off. The good thing is that now he is back and captivates many students every year”, Actis affirmed that he is proud of the 298 students enrolled in this race.
“Many believe that girls do not choose these careers. But as a student I had several companions. In fact, my wife is an aeronautical engineer. Today I walk through the college and I see many more women than before. More are received than are entered. In percentage, compared to men, it is higher. In that sense, they are better than them”, indicated the dean, who was enthusiastic about the various aerospace projects that the Faculty of Engineering is carrying out, such as the construction of two cubesat satellites to be launched into space.
“We need to encourage children to be interested in this type of career, since the shortage of engineers is a worldwide phenomenon and there are many job opportunities in the country and abroad,” Actis concluded.
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