{"id":77943,"date":"2026-05-04T12:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=77943"},"modified":"2026-05-04T15:13:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:13:43","slug":"cesar-duarte-graduate-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/cesar-duarte-graduate-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Cesar Duarte: Pioneering in engineering and innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A trailblazer in both innovation and leadership,\u00a0<\/span>Cesar Duarte<\/span><\/b>\u00a0will leave behind more than just academic achievement at the NAU Yuma campus;\u00a0he will leave a legacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a member of the university\u2019s inaugural cohort of mechanical engineering students\u00a0in Yuma, he helped shape the foundation of a program that will influence generations to come. His work on exoskeleton technology will help enhance mobility\u00a0and quality of life for many. Beyond the lab, he has\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0vision and initiative by\u00a0co-founding the university’s\u00a0first\u00a0engineering club, creating a collaborative space for aspiring engineers to learn, build and lead.\u00a0As a Gold Axe recipient, his journey\u00a0reflects not only technical excellence but a commitment to pushing\u00a0boundaries\u00a0and building community.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning on the switch<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Duarte was born in Tucson and moved to Yuma with his family when he was\u00a0four\u00a0years old.\u00a0As\u00a0a child, he always showed an interest in how things worked. He remembers\u00a0making an electromagnet for\u00a0a\u00a0science fair\u00a0in\u00a0fifth grade.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI basically got a battery, some\u00a0copper\u00a0wire and\u00a0an outlet switch,\u201d\u00a0Duarte\u00a0said. \u201cI got an iron nail and wrapped the coils around it, creating a tiny electromagnet. I could turn it off and on. I used it to pick up paper clips. It was very cool. I did not understand\u00a0the science\u00a0of it\u00a0at the time,\u00a0but from there, I\u00a0was hooked\u00a0on creating\u00a0more\u00a0projects. Once I got to high school, I took an engineering class and my IT Essentials professor\u00a0in\u00a0my\u00a0freshman\u00a0year pushed me to go into engineering.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cesar<\/a>
Cesar Duarte with his family after graduating from Arizona Western College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When he\u00a0graduated from Cibola High School,\u00a0Duarte\u00a0enrolled at Arizona Western College (AWC) in Yuma,\u00a0and\u00a0almost two years later,\u00a0he found himself\u00a0struggling to decide what to do after\u00a0graduation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was close to getting my\u00a0associate’s\u00a0degree, I was unsure what I was going to do,\u201d Duarte said. \u201cIt was\u00a0very expensive\u00a0to go to one of the in-state universities to get my bachelor’s degree in engineering and I was struggling to\u00a0make a decision. I was part of the\u00a0<\/span>YES program at AWC,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and my\u00a0enrollment coordinator,\u00a0Rocio Napoles,\u00a0approached me about eight months before graduation and told me they were opening a bachelor\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering here in Yuma. She asked if it\u00a0was\u00a0something I would be interested\u00a0in,\u00a0and I\u00a0immediately\u00a0said yes. Both\u00a0she\u00a0and Dawn Whinnery helped me with my decision and made the transition from AWC to NAU as smooth as possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Juggling life as a Lumberjack<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Even though he was planning to go to NAU thanks to some transfer scholarships he had been awarded, the news about the program he was interested in being offered at the Yuma campus made the decision easy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been great,\u201d Duarte said. “I live with my parents and save on living expenses.\u00a0I am part of the first cohort to graduate from the program here in Yuma. It was\u00a0a very good\u00a0decision.\u00a0I received a transfer scholarship from the YES\u00a0program,\u00a0and I am part of the\u00a0PTK Honor Society, so I was granted some money there, too.\u00a0In my second year, I received a scholarship from the National Science Foundation.\u00a0I am the only student in\u00a0the\u00a0engineering program in\u00a0Yuma to\u00a0have been awarded the\u00a0NSF S-STEAM program scholarship.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duarte also works\u00a0part-time\u00a0at the City of Yuma\u2019s Traffic Engineering Department. He started as an intern and was offered the\u00a0position\u00a0when his internship\u00a0ended.\u00a0He\u00a0said the hardest part of his journey at NAU\u00a0has been\u00a0never\u00a0feeling\u00a0like a full-time student while trying to juggle the balance of working and going to school at the same time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most significant factors in my ability to complete my degree has been the support\u00a0from my family and\u00a0my girlfriend,\u00a0<\/span>Adail Corona<\/span><\/b>,\u201d Duarte said. \u201cAdail and I\u00a0have\u00a0<\/span>been together since our senior year of high school,\u00a0and she has been by my side throughout this entire journey. We attended Arizona Western College together, graduated together, transferred to NAU Yuma together\u00a0and now\u00a0we are\u00a0both\u00a0getting ready\u00a0to earn our bachelor\u2019s degrees in May.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building\u00a0transmissions\u00a0that will change lives<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

On top of\u00a0keeping up with his coursework\u00a0and\u00a0his\u00a0job\u00a0in\u00a0the city,\u00a0Duarte\u00a0works with\u00a0<\/span>Dante\u00a0Archangeli,\u00a0<\/span><\/b>assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with\u00a0exoskeletons. His research involves developing a multi-speed planetary gearbox for lower exoskeletons, which will help achieve motor efficiency when carrying\u00a0out\u00a0different activities, such as walking,\u00a0running\u00a0and climbing steps.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn a car with an automatic transmission, for example, when you shift between first and second gear, there is a momentary slip in power from when you are transferring gears,\u201d Duarte said. \u201cIn an exoskeleton application, you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0have any loss of power because the\u00a0exoskeleton\u00a0is\u00a0helping support an individual. Right now, exoskeletons have a fixed\u00a0one-ratio\u00a0gearbox,\u00a0and we are trying to find ways to\u00a0incorporate multiple\u00a0ratios, as you would in a car, without the loss of power.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building a legacy<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Duarte\u2019s love for building\u00a0transmissions\u00a0is not only reflected in his work with exoskeletons. He is the co-founder of the Yuma Mechanical Engineering Club. Now, students\u00a0at the Yuma campus\u00a0will have the opportunity to compete in the\u00a0SAE Baja Competition\u00a0scheduled May 7-10 in\u00a0the Pacific Northwest.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted the Yuma program to be successful and to convince students in the surrounding areas that they will have the same experience as if they went to Flagstaff, Phoenix or Tucson,\u201d he said. \u201cWe needed to have a staple project that is not only intensive but rewarding in the experience that it gives you. Now, Yuma students will have the opportunity to compete in the SAE Baja. We\u00a0have a month left\u00a0to work on our side-by-side and still have a couple of things we need to fabricate.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This competition includes mechanical engineering students from all over the West Coast, including NAU\u2019s\u00a0Flagstaff Mountain\u00a0campus,\u00a0ASU\u00a0and UA. Duarte and his team\u00a0have\u00a0raised $16,000 in funds from local businesses\u00a0to support\u00a0their\u00a0effort\u00a0to\u00a0participate\u00a0in the competition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The road ahead<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"Cesar<\/a>
Cesar with girlfriend Adai Corona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Duarte applied to the mechanical engineering master\u2019s program\u00a0and was accepted. In the fall, he will\u00a0attend\u00a0the Flagstaff mountain campus to continue his education and work as\u00a0a graduate research assistant.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I have been very fortunate to receive so much support throughout my education at both NAU and AWC through the YES Program,\u201d Duarte said. \u201cThe support and mentorship I received from\u00a0<\/span>Dr.\u00a0Constantin\u00a0Ciocanel\u00a0<\/span><\/b>through the\u00a0S-STEM program, as well as the support from\u00a0<\/span>Dr.\u00a0Jesus\u00a0Mora\u00a0Ramirez<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0<\/span>Dr.\u00a0Ravi<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Chandra Madasani<\/span><\/b>, and\u00a0<\/span>Professor\u00a0Daniel\u00a0Sanchez<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0has\u00a0had a tremendous impact on me.\u00a0My\u00a0research with Dr.\u00a0Archangeli\u00a0has also been incredibly\u00a0meaningful,\u00a0and the guidance he has given me has helped\u00a0me greatly.\u00a0If I could go back in\u00a0time,\u00a0I would tell myself that the road ahead would be hard, but I think I will make the same decision and do it all over again anyway.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A trailblazer in both innovation and leadership,\u00a0Cesar Duarte\u00a0will leave behind more than just academic achievement at the NAU Yuma campus;\u00a0he will leave a legacy.\u00a0 As a member of the university\u2019s inaugural cohort of mechanical engineering students\u00a0in Yuma, he helped shape the foundation of a program that will influence generations to come. His work on exoskeleton…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":77944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}