Bill Miera
Imagine that instead of engaging in a dangerous high-speed chase of a fleeing vehicle, law enforcement could use high-power microwave technology to kill the engine of the suspect’s car. Imagine that, in the event of a terrorist attack using toxic chemicals or biological agents, responders could use focused microwaves to irradiate and destroy the toxic agent, minimizing the scope of the attack. These are just some of the technologies being developed and tested at Fiore Industries, the leading-edge company founded by a local kid who once discovered that he liked math and science. Imagine that.
Bill Miera put himself through UNM School of Engineering, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, with a concentration in robotics. Along the way, his eyes were opened by teachers and mentors like former Dean Bill Gross, whose course in entrepreneurial engineering convinced Miera that not even the sky was the limit.
“At UNM, I had the opportunity to spend a semester working at Rockwell International, building engines for the Space Shuttle,” Miera says. “I also had the opportunity to work at the Air Force Research Laboratory, which turned me on to R&D and set the course for my career. With both training and inspiration, the School made it possible for me to accomplish my goals, build a business in our community and create new technologies. It didn’t just change my world, it changed worlds for the people I employ, the clients I work with, and the people we’re able to help our clients serve.”
BMiera worked on high-level projects at Rockwell for nearly a decade; then with a dream, a second mortgage, his retirement fund and a few maxed-out credit cards, he founded the successful company he runs today. He also helped found and lead the UNM chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, which helps young kids (much like the one he once was) find successful careers in engineering. You could say that while his company develops technologies to make bad things stop, Miera gives equal time to making good things begin.
How many worlds, small and large, will School of Engineering alumni transform, and will yours be one of them? With your support, the answers are “many” and “yes.”