Electrospinning Device Enhancement                 Jan - May 2025

• Developed and programmed a touchscreen-based graphical user interface (GUI) using GUIslice and Arduino Mega to control a modular electrospinning system with flat plate and spinning disc collector modes.

• Led torque and safety factor analysis of the belt-driven disc system, including moment of inertia modeling, pulley ratio selection, Euler-based belt tension estimation, and bearing load verification.

• Contributed to embedded motor control logic enabling real-time indexing, rotation, and height adjustment through GUI callbacks and on-screen spinners/sliders.

• Collaborated with teammates to integrate redesigned aluminum column, L-bracket base, and modular base plate for enhanced stiffness, interchangeability, and reduced fiber deposition error.

• Delivered live presentation demonstrating GUI functionality and structural redesign

Potato Slicer Reverse Engineering                      Mar - Apr 2025

• Collaborated on a 7-member team project to reverse engineer a manual potato slicer and evaluate its mechanical integrity under realistic loading conditions.

• Modeled the slicer's long arm in ANSYS Workbench, applying two load cases (bending and shear) to simulate expected in-use stresses.

• Created an alternate FEA simulation setup with parametric Design of Experiments (DOE), defining five geometric variables and one material property (Young’s Modulus).

• Configured outputs to track max equivalent stress, deformation, and minimum factor of safety; verified safe performance under dimensional/material variations (±0.5%, ±5%).

• Built and refined the mesh, boundary constraints, and loading conditions in Workbench; coordinated with team to validate input assumptions and load estimates.

• Although my simulation was not used in the final team presentation, my upstream DOE model and stress test setup helped inform group decision-making.

• Gained practical experience in collaborative engineering analysis, mesh tuning, and fatigue-related FOS interpretation within real-world design constraints.

Corkscrew Assembly                 Jan - May 2024

• Designed and documented the manufacturing process for the bottle opener component of a high-volume corkscrew assembly project; created 2D/3D CAD drawings using SolidWorks and wrote a detailed traveler sheet outlining stamping, punching, polishing, and inspection steps.

• Selected production processes and tooling (e.g., stamping press, electroplating tanks) to meet throughput and cost constraints for 550,000 units/year while ensuring dimensional accuracy through manual inspection (1 in 50 parts).

• Collaborated in a 5-member team to develop a complete process plan for a 6-part corkscrew and bottle opener assembly, balancing production cycle times, cost estimation, and inspection load under a $2 per-unit budget.

• Applied manufacturing engineering principles to assess surface treatment needs, fixture strategies, and cycle time tradeoffs during process selection and design-for-manufacturing analysis.

Compound Gearbox Design                     Jan - May 2024

• Led the key sizing analysis for a 4-person team designing a 3-stage compound gearbox to lift a 7.5-ton hoist with a 15 HP motor; selected material, dimensions, and safety margins for the output shaft key.

• Developed and solved MATLAB-based fatigue equations to iterate key length and verify resistance to shear, bearing stress, and fatigue under 59,800 lb·in torque.

• Applied Goodman fatigue criteria and corrected endurance limits (Se, Sut) to meet a safety factor of 2.01; integrated results with shaft stress and geartrain documentation.

• Contributed technical documentation and key stress evaluation tables to the final mechanical design report submitted for MAE 4342: Mechanical Design II.

PID-Based Wireless Ball Balancing on Touchscreen                     Aug - Dec 2023

• Designed and programmed a closed-loop mechatronics system that stabilizes a steel ball using a resistive touchscreen, servo motors, and PID control logic on a Raspberry Pi Pico.

• Developed custom C++ code to read touchscreen coordinates (I²C), compute real-time position errors, and drive servo angles via PWM signal control.

• Tuned proportional, derivative, and integral gains iteratively to minimize overshoot and steady-state error, using real-time system behavior as feedback.

• Integrated UART-based wireless communication to override setpoints from a laptop, enabling remote control of ball position and system demonstration.

• Modeled mechanical components in SolidWorks and collaborated with a classmate to 3D print, assemble, and test the full system with custom STL files.

• Demonstrated functional PID control under dynamic disturbances; validated full system performance during team-led in-class presentation.

Water Heating System Design                 Oct - Dec 2022

• Modeled a steady-state water heating system using external convection over a copper tube; simulated turbulent cross-flow to heat 0.2 kg/s of water from 10 °C to 40 °C within a 14 m length constraint.

• Applied Reynolds, Prandtl, and Nusselt number correlations (Dittus–Boelter, Churchill–Bernstein) to calculate internal and external convection coefficients for turbulent flow regimes.

• Automated heat exchanger sizing via MATLAB, creating parametric design plots for three gas temperatures (250 °C, 375 °C, 500 °C) and flow velocities (20–40 m/s) across tube diameters (20, 30, 40 mm).

• Validated energy balance using log-mean temperature difference (LMTD) and ensured feasibility under flow regime and length constraints; interpolated thermal properties from tabular data for accurate film temperature modeling.

• Documented design decisions and built reusable MATLAB scripts for thermal system sizing and tradeoff visualization.

Thermal Modeling of Chip Cooling Solution                       Oct - Dec 2022

• Simulated 2D steady-state temperature distribution of a chip packaging system using a 60-node finite difference grid in MATLAB; analyzed thermal response under internal heating and convective boundary conditions.

• Programmed symbolic equations in MATLAB to model temperature variation across chip (kc = 135 W/m·K), spreader (ks = 220 W/m·K), and board (kb = 0.25 W/m·K); applied symmetry to reduce computational load.

• Conducted parametric sweeps on heat transfer coefficient (h), ambient air temperature (T∞), and thermal conductivities (ks, kb) to evaluate thermal sensitivity and inversion behavior.

• Verified chip remained below 85 °C under baseline and varied conditions; identified failure thresholds under extreme scenarios (e.g., high T∞ or low ks).

• Generated thermal plots for six rows of nodal data; documented full MATLAB formulation and solver logic for validation and reproducibility.

TBCC Propulsion Design for Hypersonic Executive Transport                 Oct - Dec 2022

• Led gas turbine cycle configuration and off-design performance analysis using Mattingly’s PARA and PERF tools; selected engine design points for Mach 0.2–2.5 turbojet operation and optimized performance transition at Mach 2.5

• Developed a dual-mode TBCC propulsion system achieving Mach 5 cruise with JP-7 fuel, using inlet recovery, thrust-specific fuel consumption, and range-based Breguet equations to size mass fractions and total takeoff thrust

• Simulated 2D oblique shock ramp geometries and modeled mixed-compression inlet/diffuser flow to improve ramjet recovery and delay unstarts at cruise (M=5), refining burner entry Mach and contraction ratios

• Calculated and compared trajectory-averaged performance metrics, including thrust, SFC, Isp, η₀, and πₑ, across all flight regimes using Excel-integrated outputs from PARA/PERF and sizing spreadsheets

• Performed system-level mass budgeting and sizing convergence, iterating fuel and empty mass fractions to meet range and payload constraints (~3,400 kg), with MTO/FTO calculated via Breguet-based sizing relations

• Documented design rationale and trade studies involving burner temperature (TT4), compressor pressure ratio (πc), nozzle sizing, and inlet ramp angle decisions, supporting vehicle-level feasibility and transition performance

• Collaborated in a 2-person team, contributing propulsion modeling, report writing, and configuration decisions under mission constraints

Two-Stage-to-Orbit Propulsion System Redesign             Aug - Oct 2022

• Co-led a two-person propulsion redesign project for the Falcon 9 first stage, replacing RP-1 with CH₄ to reduce overall mass ratio while retaining second-stage Merlin 1D engine

• Modeled engine performance at various altitudes using NASA CEA and ATMOS; generated Isp and thrust curves vs. altitude to inform trajectory-averaged analysis

• Reduced first-stage mass ratio from 25.75 to 22.98 by optimizing chamber pressure, equivalence ratio, and expansion ratio for CH₄ combustion

• Performed turbopump power and tank sizing analysis using flow rate equations and design tradeoff plots, balancing higher fuel volume against specific impulse gains

• Developed key plots and parameters for final configuration summary: Pc = 95.73 atm, ε = 16, Φ = 0.8, Isp = 310.4 s

• Delivered full technical report with CH₄ vs RP-1 comparisons, CEA simulations, and performance tables; aligned redesign rationale with trends in reusable launch vehicle architecture (e.g., Starship)

Double Mass-Spring-Damper System           Jan - May 2022

• Modeled and analyzed a 2-DOF spring–mass–damper system by deriving equations of motion using both Newtonian and Lagrangian mechanics, then reformulating into matrix form for simulation.

• Transformed second-order ODEs into state-space representation and solved for system response using MATLAB’s ode23 solver and custom-damped stiffness/mass matrices.

• Calculated and validated natural frequencies (5.16 rad/s, 7.75 rad/s) and corresponding mode shapes through eigenvalue and modal analysis.

• Simulated free vibration responses under multiple initial conditions, visualizing displacement decay and modal coupling behavior for each mass.

• Generated frequency response functions (FRFs) using modalfrf() and FFT tools; tuned damping matrices and applied a Hann window + 50 Hz sampling to match realistic system decay.

• Debugged and validated system behavior by comparing numerical response to expected analytical behavior under various damping assumptions and excitation inputs.

• Demonstrated fluency in vibration modeling, signal analysis, and MATLAB simulation workflows used in real-world structural dynamics problems.

Spring-Loaded Catapult         Aug - Dec 2019

• Designed and modeled a spring-powered catapult mechanism using SolidWorks 3D CAD tools with assembly mates and part constraints; the system included a spring-loaded arm, structural side plates, a roller pivot, and a physical stopper to limit rotation.

• Performed motion simulation and interference analysis in SolidWorks Motion Study to evaluate spring behavior and component interaction; identified and corrected arm-stop misalignment, enabling consistent projectile launch.

• Created technical manufacturing documentation, including exploded views with a bill of materials (BOM), 2D detail drawings, and part dimensioning per course fabrication standards.

• 3D printed prototype using PLA, assembled hardware with fasteners, and verified spring actuation and stopper engagement through physical testing.

• Iterated spring selection based on simulation data and McMaster-Carr values, adjusting spring constant and free length to improve energy storage and arm velocity.

• Documented and demonstrated full motion cycle through videos and design visuals; final prototype achieved smooth, controlled launch behavior with proper rotational stop.

Maintenance Technician, PeakMade: Gateway at College Station – College Station, TX         July 2019 – Aug 2019

• Handled 20+ resident work orders weekly, including basic electrical, plumbing, and HVAC tasks

• Rearranged shared-space equipment to improve accessibility and reduce response times

• Conducted routine inspections to identify and report safety hazards proactively

• Relocated furniture and large equipment to support apartment turnover and maintenance

Laboratory Technician, Palo Alto College – San Antonio, TX   Mar 2018 – Dec 2018

• Managed chemical/equipment prep for weekly bio/chem lab instruction and student research

• Maintained and updated lab inventory to ensure compliance with audit and safety standards

• Enforced hygiene protocols and ensured a clean, safe lab environment daily

• Collaborated with faculty during lab setup, teardown, and emergency response tasks