Celebrating 10 years at STLE and the STLE UDEM Student Section
By Laura Peña, Contributing Editor | TLT Volunteer's Voice August 2025
The first STLE student section in Latin America has built a solid community of students, researchers and professionals interested in the science and technology of lubrication, friction and wear.
Laura Peña attending the 2015 STLE Tribology Frontiers Conference.
This year is very special for the STLE Student Section at University of Monterrey (UDEM) in Monterrey, Mexico, as we are about to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Founded in January 2016, the UDEM section was the first STLE student section in Latin America and helped generate greater interest in tribology in the region. Over the past decade, we have built a solid community of students, researchers and professionals interested in the science and technology of lubrication, friction and wear.
Monterrey is one of the most important industrial cities in Mexico. It has many companies in the automotive, steel, aerospace and general manufacturing sectors. These industries often face tribological problems, such as reducing friction, increasing the life of tools and components and improving performance. Because of this, our student section has worked closely with local manufacturing companies and lubricant suppliers. These collaborations have given students the chance to gain hands-on experience and work on real projects that have an impact on our local industry.
I have been fortunate to be part of this journey from the beginning. This year also marks my 10th anniversary as a member of STLE. I first learned about STLE in 2014, when I attended the Tribology Frontiers Conference (TFC) in Rosemont, Ill. At that time, I had recently joined UDEM as an assistant professor and was looking for research topics related to the challenges faced by companies in our region. Tribology immediately caught my attention. In a city like Monterrey, tribology-related issues are everywhere—in tools, machines and materials—so I saw a good opportunity to focus my work and contribute to this area.
The STLE University of Monterrey Student Section was established in 2016 as the first student section in Latin America.
I officially became an STLE member in 2015. That same year, my colleague Demófilo Maldonado and I prepared a proposal to establish the STLE UDEM Student Section, which we have co-advised since it was founded. The proposal was approved by the STLE board of directors in early 2016, and with the support from STLE and people like STLE Fellow Ashlie Martini, former STLE executive director Ed Salek, STLE Past President Mike Anderson and others, we launched the first STLE student section in Latin America. Since then, we have guided many generations of students who are interested in tribology and want to develop their leadership skills.
Our main event, Tribology Week, began small but has become an important part of promoting tribology at our university. Every year, we organize technical talks, visits to local companies, hands-on demonstrations with the tribotesters in our Tribology Laboratory and presentations by experts from Mexico and other countries. These events have motivated many students to take part in tribology projects and have also helped strengthen the connection between academia and industry.
Beyond my work at UDEM, I have also been active in the global STLE community. I have served on the Tribology Frontiers Conference Planning Committee since 2018 and participated in the Young Tribologists Symposium Committee at the International Tribology Congress in Sendai, Japan, in 2019. This year, I am honored to chair the 2025 STLE Tribology Frontiers Conference, which will take place at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., from Oct. 14-16. The conference will cover cutting-edge topics such as tribology in space and non-terrestrial environments, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to build tribology databases, sustainability and life-cycle assessment, the role of nanomaterials in controlling friction, tribochemistry, energy and manufacturing, among others.
This feels like a full-circle moment for me. As the STLE UDEM Student Section and I get closer to our 10th anniversary, we invite you to join us at the STLE 2025 Tribology Frontiers Conference and support the next generation of tribologists. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow, learn and collaborate in the years to come.
Laura Peña is Full Professor in the department of mechanical and electronics engineering at University of Monterrey. You can reach her at laura.pena@udem.edu.