Samuel Kirschner Email & Phone Number

Physiology Of Wearable Robotics Lab

• Collaborating in a multidisciplinary team developing ExoSkins, pseudo-active programmable wearable devices designed to enhance biomechanics, and authoring the first paper on their potential.
• Led experimentation focusing on characterizing the torque-angle response of elementary ExoSkin topologies and materials to provide a framework for designing optimization-based ExoSkins.

Hu Laboratory For Biolocomotion

• Studied the biomechanics and structure of elephant trunks as part of a multidisciplinary team with a goal of providing deeper insight into the mechanisms of compliant structures for possible engineering applications.
• Used digital image correlation to gain quantitative understanding of the mechanical behavior embedded into the wrinkles of elephant skin, which was used as a model for bio-mimic materials.
• Analyzed stress-strain properties of knitted bio-mimics and contributed the results to a conference paper published in International Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology.
• Overcame challenges of studying highly deformable materials by adapting a novel strain tracking technique, which has been adopted as standard procedure in the lab.

Johnson Space Center

• Spearheaded the development of systems models for in-situ resource utilization processes and key components critical to establishing and sustaining permanent settlements on the Moon and Mars.
• Collaborated with the Energy Systems Division to define mission requirements for a lunar water mining and processing system, integrating high-level strategic directives with technical insights.
• Conducted a trade study of MBSE tools and presented findings to division leadership, influencing the strategic direction of future projects.

Marshall Space Flight Center

• Interned with the Artemis Campaign Development division learning the fundamentals of systems engineering and developing mission models for the first crewed moon landing since the Apollo Program.
• Developed a model of lunar surface operations in MagicDraw, which was adopted by the Architecture and Baseline Definitions team for Artemis 3, the first crewed return to the moon.
• Integrated Monte Carlo simulation capabilities into the Lunar Exploration Architecture Framework using SysML to be used to predict total event duration and probability of mission success.
• Conducted a state-of-technology review on computer vision and presented it to the MSFC Imagery Lab, which initiated further research and development of key technologies.

Laboratory For Advanced Materials And Additive Manufacturing

• Worked on a team of materials researchers with a primary focus of advancing the understanding and capabilities of selective laser melting additive manufacturing.
• Researched the effects of manufacturing conditions on the mechanical properties of selectively laser melted (SLM) stainless steel alloys and presented the results in a quarterly meeting.
• Automated the digital image correlation process using MATLAB to extract mechanical properties and create stress-strain curves from large data sets, significantly increasing process efficiency.
• Created a computer vision MATLAB program that quantifies metal quality based on porosity, which was used to optimize the manufacturing conditions for multiple experiments.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Mechanical Engineering, 4.0

Activities and Societies: Tau Beta Pi

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Mechanical Engineering, 4.0

Activities and Societies: Burnett Honors College