UTEP Engineering Staff Adapt to Remote Work
Anahy Diaz | July 7, 2020
for civil engineering and Carmen Martinez, program coordinator
and manager for biomedical engineering.
Staff members from The University of Texas at El Paso’s College of Engineering are adjusting to remote work in order to continue effective communication and operations for the institution and its students during the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis.
Carmen Martinez, program coordinator and manager for biomedical engineering and Blanca Carrasco, the program coordinator and manager for civil engineering share the challenges and rewarding moments working from home has brought them.
In various departments, effective communication has become a priority more than ever. For Martinez, contemporary forms of communication in her department have led her to develop new working techniques by using services like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other digital forms for biomedical engineering.
“The most rewarding part is learning new programs and technologies to make my job easier and better when I get back to UTEP,” Martinez said. “Some positive steps include using Teams and Zoom for meetings and always being available via email.”
As for Carrasco, who holds a brand-new position in the department, she has found establishing a daily routine and having access to previous files needed to fulfill the job, have been some of the toughest challenges that have come from remote work.
“I started this position back at the beginning of March, and two weeks after, I started working from home,” Carrasco said.
However, like Martinez, she has found daily communication among her colleagues via emails, phone calls, and weekly meetings on Zoom, are positive steps that have helped enhance the department’s productivity to ensure the success of its students.
“Although the situation we are facing now may seem chaotic, let’s all get together in unison, to be there, readily available to support our students and future incoming students,” Carrasco said.
