As the Manufacturing Director of FRL, I supervise the manufacturing of a 500-lbf thrust liquid rocket engine and all associated systems, using both manual machining equipment and CNC machines. I oversee junior members in the machine shop to ensure proper safety protocols are followed at all times, and coordinate with the shop managers to establish access requirements and proper training regiments for new members. In keeping with this responsibility, I have trained new members in safe and proper manufacturing techniques, and organized tutoring sessions to teach members more advanced techniques such as boring, tapering, and working with specialized materials like steel alloys and copper.Outside of the machine shop, I developed and implemented a rigorous documentation procedure using Confluence, to record manufacturing procedures, compile resources for improved knowledge dissemination, and improve overall team efficiency. I instituted workflow management using Jira and G-code version control using Fusion Autodesk, and created detailed inventory logs to track our available stock and tooling. Finally, I obtained and managed a $2,000+ budget to allocate necessary tooling, machining equipment, and stock material necessary to build our engine. Overall, my goal has been to initiate efforts to foster team-wide emphasis on Design for Manufacturability (DFM), with the long-term goal of integrating the team completely with engine design for a smoother design cycle.

As a member of the manufacturing team, I developed manufacturing procedures for the ignitor, injector, and gimbal mounting assemblies for our engine, and collaborated with engine design to address design for manufacturability concerns. From there, I manufactured several iterations of an aluminum pintle injector, first on manual machines and then transitioning to CNC machines, achieving a shaft diameter tolerance of 0.0005 in. I also manufactured several iterations of a 304 stainless-steel igniter body and copper igniter nozzle, including multiple versions that were used in methane-GOX hot fire testing.Outside of the machine shop, I created engineering drawings in SOLIDWORKS of various engine components and tutored fellow team members on good drawing practices to assist in the manufacturing process. I also researched techniques for the workholding and CNC machining of our engine liner, specifically how to machine the regen cooling channels along the liner’s outer contour, using both an SL-10 lathe and a 5-Axis mill.

I assisted a PhD student in the UF Unsteady Fluid Dynamics Group in his work on supersonic cavity flow. This work involved using a supersonic wind tunnel here at UF to characterize the shear layer which forms over a cavity immersed in such a flow, and determining the effects of various methods to alter the shear layer and reduce the potentially damaging effects of resonance due to Rossiter frequencies.My tasks as a research assistant included helping the PhD student set up a Schlieren photography system as a method of flow characterization, and taking photographs of the flow. I intend to use this opportunity to improve my research skills and move into my own work come the fall semester.

As a Teaching Assistant, I hold office hours twice a week to help students understand the course material and answer any questions they may have. I also go over the concepts and problem solving strategies necessary to succeed in the class. Outside of office hours, I also assist the professor by grading homework.

The goal of Swamp Launch while I was a member was to design and build a solid-propellant rocket, with a GPS tracker payload, to reach a specific altitude goal of 4,500 ft as part of a NASA Student Launch competition.As a member of the structures team, I researched materials for use in our rocket and evaluated them quantitatively using decision matrices, to optimize vehicle weight while meeting our strength and manufacturability requirements. I also created SOLIDWORKS models and engineering drawings of the nosecone, bulkheads, and payload compartment, and from there I manufactured the PVC bulkheads on an engine lathe, the fiberglass fins on a waterjet machine, and cut the body tubing on a Marvel bandsaw.

As a member of the flight dynamics team, I wrote MATLAB code that calculated our rocket's predicted flight trajectory to compare with calculations obtained while designing the rocket in OpenRocket software. I also used Monte Carlo simulations to study the effects of varying design parameters, such as fin dimensions, nosecone length, etc. on our calculated final altitude.

I worked as a veterinary assistant for a small mobile practice that took care of clients' pets in their own homes. As a veterinary assistant, it was my responsibility to help the veterinarian however he needed, including managing the patient or interfacing with the client. My responsibilities started off very simple, such as carrying the veterinarian's equipment, or restraining the patients in a responsible manner as needed, to minimize potential risk to the owners. As I grew older, I took on more responsibilities, including answering calls and booking clients, filing patient documents, and preparing the veterinarian's equipment before an examination.