As a design engineer in John Deere's Construction and Forestry division, I am responsible for the development and integration of all drivetrain components on Deere's production class 4WD wheel loaders, including transmissions, axles, driveshafts, park brakes, torsional couplers, and wheels and tires. I coordinate with both internal and external suppliers to ensure that component performance and life goals are met and integrate feedback from the manufacturing team to ensure the design is optimized for function and assembly. I develop product and component specifications, analyze field data and component failures to understand root cause, and work to mitigate high risk on early development concepts. I also support test engineers in component analysis and testing and provide leadership during prototype builds at the Davenport, IA factory and in the Dubuque, IA experimental shop.

As an Engineering Intern at Turbine Logic, I developed and implemented new features in Python applications for monitoring gas turbine engines used in electricity generation. These applications included a digital twin autocalibration tool and a Bayesian belief network diagnostic tool. Application logic hinged on an understanding of the fundamental thermodynamics of gas turbines as well as maintenance and operation considerations. I was responsible for both the GUI and backend implementations of the new features I added, as well as testing and debugging. I worked closely with my colleagues to develop our applications, review and test internally, and receive feedback from our customers. I also attended customer meetings and created user documentation.

At the Combustion Lab at Georgia Tech, I worked with a graduate student in Dr. Tim Lieuwen's research group on the design of a scale rich-burn, quick-quench, lean-burn (RQL) combustor and test rig intended for the study of noise generation and propagation in gas turbine engines. I focused on designing the test rig to support the combustor and associated data collection using laser imaging. I developed CAD models of a new rolling cart to support the combustor and test stand to bolt to the floor and support a fluid connections, air inlet piping, and exhaust piping. I experienced the iterative engineering design process and saw my cart design go through engineering reviews and numerical studies (FEA). I sourced materials and created BOMs once the design was finalized, and I assisted with metal fabrication in the machine shop. I redesigned the primary structure of the test stand to make the experimental setup more robust and easier to use, and built it from heavy-duty steel tubing.

As a Mechanical Engineering Intern, I worked in a small division within Annapolis Micro Systems' Hardware Team to support FPGA module development. I had a variety of responsibilities, from designing custom metalwork for conduction-cooled modules to working with the Purchasing Team to ensure that Bills of Materials were up-to-date and parts would be delivered on time. I also worked closely with my colleagues to synthesize 3D assembly models in SolidWorks with the raw PCB designs and created assembly instructions for the Manufacturing Team.

As an undergraduate student researcher at the Microrobotics Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park, I worked with another undergraduate student to explore the design of a robotic whisker for applications in which more traditional imaging and sensing techniques are not feasible. We began with design that utilized a three-axis Hall effect sensor to interpret the movement of a whisker using very small magnets. We designed, prototyped, and tested many different whisker support structures using a variety of materials, and used MATLAB and an Arduino Due to collect and analyze the sensor readings. We presented our findings weekly to the lab and compiled our work into an informal but detailed report.