EnrÍquez was specifically chosen for the LATinE program at Purdue Engineering, which has a goal to prepare future trailblazing faculty in engineering with a focus on preparing outstanding scholars who are also committed to increasing the success of Latinx engineers. Trailblazers in Engineering Fellows are selected not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements but also for their potential impact in expanding representation and diversity in engineering.

EnrÍquez earned his bachelor’s degree in 2018 in mechanical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez and is a current PhD student in biomedical engineering at Purdue. He is in his third year as a graduate student in the Laboratory of Implantable Microsystems Research (LIMR), where he has played a significant role in a self-clearing smart catheter for the management of intraventricular hemorrhage. Recently, he has been leading the development of a novel shape memory polymer-based embolic device to improve the treatment for brain aneurysms. He has served as a GradTrack mentor, chair of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion Journal Club, panelist for the Office of Graduate Education, and has twice been Purdue Engineering’s recruitment representative at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ national conference. In 2021, Ángel received the Young Investigator Award at the Hydrocephalus Association Annual Meeting, was awarded the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Fellowship, and was selected to Boston University’s Biomedical Engineering Emerging Scholars symposium. As a future faculty member, he feels he is best suited for problem-based learning and envisions teaching a course such as Fundamentals of Biomedical Device Design in which students are divided into groups and assigned a semester-long task to complete. He looks forward to providing students with project management skills, up-to-date medical device regulations, and engineering thoughtfulness to accomplish projects. 

The virtual Trailblazers in Engineering workshop, held October 19-21, 2021, provided Fellows the ability to network with leading faculty in engineering, thought leaders, program managers at key federal funding agencies, Purdue Engineering heads, and of course, each other. Participants also met current Trailblazers and benefitted from their inspiring keynote talks.