Joan Darder was the first student at the University of the Balearic Islands to win the 1st edition of the Robot Scholarship that paid for 100% of his Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. Two years later, Joan is part of our staff as a Design and Programming Engineer for the control and visualization systems of hotel facilities.
Question: You were the first student to win the Robot Scholarship two years ago. What did this opportunity mean to you?
Answer: It was a pride and motivation to win the Scholarship and to have been selected to finance my Master, in addition to being able to have contact with a company as Robot, which works in the sector that particularly attracts me the most. I was very happy to be able to take the Master and see what the future held for me.
Q: What was your Final Degree project with which you submitted your application for the Robot Scholarship?
A: The work with which I applied to the Scholarship was an IoT topic. It consisted of a demo of a water flow monitoring system in my town (Banyalbufar), and the creation of a network for various sensors to send and publish the information in real time, to be able to see the graphs of the water levels and flows that were in the ditches.
Q: What do you think of these types of opportunities that private companies carry out for university students?
A: There should be many more opportunities like these. During the student stage, we all focus on studying, but that a company offers you these opportunities makes you see beyond the university bubble, it allows you to have a different approach to your studies and a greater ambition in training for your professional future.
It was a pride and motivation to win the Scholarship and to have been selected to finance the Master, in addition to being able to have contact with a company as Robot, which works in the sector that particularly attracts me the most.
Q: Once the Master has finished, you have had the opportunity to join the Robot, S.A. team. Did you expect to end up working in the company?
A: I had the desire to join when I finished the Master, because it is a company that motivated me a lot because of what the company is and the work they do. The pandemic complicated everything and made it impossible for me to carry out the internships in the company, but even so I had the hope of contact them after finishing the Master after the pandemic and being able to work with them.
Q: What job are you currently doing?
A: I am currently in the installations department and carring out the programming of control systems and their design, also known as SCADAs.
Q: Would you encourage other students to apply for the Robot Scholarship?
A: Without a doubt, it is a great opportunity, not only to be financed for the Master, but also to have contact with a company of the Robot level. So I recommend all students to sign up for the Scholarship, as it can open many doors for you for the future.
