Joshua Smith Email & Phone Number

Ever since I was a very young child I have been fascinated with machines and mechanisms and how they work. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I would always take apart any household appliance I could get my hands on (e.g. vacuums) to try to figure out exactly how they worked. This fascination with appliances and mechanisms led to my involvement with First Lego League (FLL) in middle school and First Robotics Competition (FRC) in high school. During my time participating in these activities, I discovered that I not only loved designing mechanisms, I also enjoyed fabricating and building them as well. My love for mechanisms and hands on work led me to Purdue Polytechnic for my degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET). It was during my time at Purdue that I learned, not only how to bring together high-level math and design, but also how to organize and run a project. Due to the fact that I am very self-directed and am a naturally gifted leader, people looked to me to lead the projects of which I was a part, even if there was no required leadership structure for the project. I led several small projects during my time at Purdue including the designing and building of an arcade game and the designing and building of a trebuchet. I was also the project manager for my senior capstone project where I had to manage the designing and fabrication of a Smart Learning Factory. These experiences taught me a great deal about product design and project management, but there is still so much left to learn. I am always looking for opportunities to learn and broaden my skillset.