Alumni Profile
Raúl Ordóñez, Ph.D.
By Yolanda Zepeda

“Believe in yourself.” This is the secret of success that Professor Raúl Ordóñez offers to the OSU Latino community.

Dr. Ordóñez earned an M.S. (1996) and a Ph.D. (1999) in electrical engineering from OSU. Now in his fourth year on the faculty at the University of Dayton, he enjoys the rewards of discovery, teaching, and the rich experience of a university career. In addition to his academic accomplishments, Dr. Ordóñez has enjoyed a multicultural life. His adventures have led him from his native Ecuador to Honduras, Mexico and finally the United States. Educated in Spanish, English and German, Ordóñez is now adding Japanese to his multilingual skills, with the help of his wife, Junko, and of formal study.

Dr. Ordóñez grew up in Quito, Ecuador where he studied at a German high school. This exposure to another language and culture motivated him to expand his horizons beyond the world he had come to know in Quito. After completing high school, he moved to Honduras and pursued a technical degree. But his desire for a Ph.D. prompted him to join his brothers in Monterrey, Mexico, where he completed a baccalaureate in electrical engineering.

Accepted for graduate study at OSU but without funding, Ordóñez moved to Columbus early in the summer prior to his enrollment. With resume in hand, the aspiring scientist began knocking on the doors of the engineering faculty, introducing himself and asking for an appointment. Meanwhile, nourishing his penchant for astronomy, Ordóñez volunteered to work at the Big Ear radio telescope. The telescope was built by Ohio State Prof. John Kraus to survey the universe for radio signals.

By mid-summer his determination paid off. Prof. Kevin Passino proved not only to be a messenger of the good news that Ordóñez had won a fellowship, but Passino also became a key advisor and mentor to Ordóñez throughout his graduate career. Ordóñez dedicated his research to studying adaptive controls for non-linear systems. He likens this to the problem of balancing an inverted broom in the palm of your hand, and his research has applications for stabilizing aircraft with delta wings and flying at high angles of attack. Now an Associate Professor at the University of Dayton, Ordóñez enjoys teaching students, graduate and undergraduate, and conducting research. His wife, Junko, is also enroled at Dayton where she is pursuing a degree in fine arts.

Reflecting on his academic path, Ordóñez points to the critical importance of believing in yourself, in your aspirations and your abilities, to achieve your academic goals. His parents instilled in Ordóñez and his brothers a love of knowledge and the value of education (both of his brothers hold Ph.D.s), but he admits that he was nevertheless haunted by self-doubt during his first quarters at OSU.

Lack of self-confidence did not defeat him. It drove him to try his best and persist despite feelings of inferiority. Ordóñez now realizes that his doubts were unfounded. He has a successful career, and he looks forward to working to increase the access of minority students, especially Latinos, to advanced educational opportunities.

“Believe in yourself. Expand your horizons. Try your best. Persist.” This is the advice that Raúl Ordóñez offers to students who aspire to graduate school.