A Keyshot rendering of an impeller I designed
Smaller & Past Projects
cam-track 2023
cam-track was a project to develop a camera tripod that used computer vision and a pan-tilt mechanism to autonomously track a subject. I was the mechanical lead for this project, in charge of designing the pan and tilt mechanism and the head of the tripod. This project was formational for me because it taught me the importance of taking small steps and having lots of prototypes for each function of the design. I built just two prototypes of the entire mechanism for my part of this project. This left the final design with issues that could have easily been worked out had I broken the design into its different functions and made small prototypes along the way.
Strandbeest 2024
Strandbeest was a project that used MATLAB to create and simulate and animate the Strandbeest linkage(also know as Jansen's linkage). The simulation was based on a series of initial guesses for linkage length and pivot coordinates that were used as inputs into a root solving algorithm that we developed. Using root solving we were able to define a feasible set of linkage lengths and pivot points that defined our linkage. This project was a challenge for me as it used MATLAB in a way that was both new and a bit intimidating to me.. That being said I was also very excited for this project because being interested in suspension design it is a massively beneficial tool for looking at suspension behavior and loading.
Mechanics of Solids and Structures 2023
Mechanics of Solids and Structures is the introductory class to static solid mechanics at my college. At the end of the class, there are two finals, one, a final test which isn't very interesting to show here, and two, a project to create something helpful, fun, and eye-catching for future students taking the same class. I made a tool to help build intuition around force and torque for which a presentation can be found below.
Thermal & Fluids Dynamics 2023
I had minimal knowledge of thermodynamics going ito this class but found the number applications for thermodynamic and fluid modeling to be very enticing. Coupled with the fact that much of the analytical analysis can be done by hand a relatively easily validated I wound up thoroughly enjoying this class. This class taught me how to set up and run experiments, how to identify areas of error, and what reasonable assumptions in testing are. It also helped me develop my simulation skills using MATLAB to simulate the heat transfers throughout systems. Here is a project on conduction through fins that demonstrates a few of these skills:
Mechanical Analysis 2024
This project was a first look into designing seat brackets for a racing seat that would go into my school's Lemons car(a 24 hour endurance race with a budget cap of $500). While this project isn't particularly rigorous it was helpful for me in creating an understanding oh which simplifications for hand calculations might be appropriate and which are not.
Engineering For Humanity 2023
This project was based around helping someone with severe dementia and mobility restrictions get into a car. This project was interesting because our client was someone who, due to her dementia, could not express her needs. This taught me to be particularly observant of pain points, not just created by the problem being addressed but by the proposed solution as well. Another challenge with this project is that it didn't have a solution that could fix all of the problems we were encountering. This forced me to distinguish between the parts of the problem I could and couldn't solve, and to then focus on the things I could improve.
Lowe Hardware 2024
Lowe Hardware was my summer internship for summer 2024. I was an Intern/Production Associate responsible for assembly and documentation of the prototype unit of a new product line: Ghostop. I had full control of the documentation, assembly and packaging processes. I was also in charge of creating training videos for the assembly of the new product line.
Outside of establishing the new product line I also worked on whichever team had the most backlog. This included running hand lathes, mills, and CNC machines, and work in the buffing rooms, fishing rooms, and the assembly room. This gave me a top-to-bottom understanding of the milling and finishing processes that allowed me to design jigs and streamline the workflow.
​
Along side my work I was also able to shadow the senior machinists, engineers, and managers. This gave me a chance to gain insight and tools from the people who developed and stared Lowe hardware.
​
Through this internship I gained a better understanding of the structure and management of a smaller company and the teams within it. I also got to experience what it takes to integrate a new product line into an existing ecosystem.
Cars
While it lacks the same academic merit as some of the other projects I've taken on, one of the more important projects in my development as an engineer has been working on cars; specifically my own car.
​
Before I had my own car I worked on a local rally team that raced a Saab 900 in a handful of rallies throughout New England. This was my first real introduction to engineering as the other members of the team were engineers by trade who came together on weekends to work on the car. This was also my introduction to suspension design, as my first task was to help modify and refine the suspension geometry. ​
​
As soon as I got my own car I started to work on it. Through my work I started gain understanding of the function of many of the parts in my car as well as gain insight into the design choices that were being made by the engineers making the pats. Many of the mechanisms that I use in my nonautomotive designing are inspired by my knowledge of these systems.
​
The experience I've gained working on cars has made me more mindful of the life of the things I design after they've left my hands. It has also allowed me to build an intuition of common failure points, areas of oversight, and the effect even the small design choices in engineering can make on people's safety, enjoyment, and perception of what they're interacting with.