Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering - Relevant Coursework
Engineering Student
August 2016 - May 2019
Flight Dynamics
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This class helped engrain my passion for aerospace with usable knowledge about the dynamic behavior of aircraft.
Beyond regular homework and exams, our Air Force Academy PhD instructor tasked us with various MATLAB-based flight dynamics simulations and analysis.
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The course's final project consisted on predicting the dynamic stability of an aircraft given its general physical properties as input: altitude, Mach number value during flight, weight, and geometrical and physical parameters. A MATLAB program ingested the data and utilized second-order differential equations to compute aircraft equations of motion and solve complex algorithms to output: natural frequency of flight, damping ratio, damped frequency, Phugoid mode response and Dutch roll response.
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Plots created using MATLAB from program computations. Extracted from full report.
Astrodynamics
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This course, taught by a 20-year NASA veteran with direct experience in the Cassini missions, also deepened my passion for aerospace by introducing me to space systems and their behavior.
Coursework demanded fundamental understanding of satellite and spacecraft dynamics in the Solar System, as well as heavy MATLAB simulation and analysis through applied laboratories.
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The final laboratory tasked satellite motion prediction given initial conditions, including perturbations due to drag and J2 effects. The output asked for all Classical Orbital Elements (i.e. eccentricity, semi-major axis, inclination, longitude of the ascending node), using MATLAB to compute differential equations and to numerically integrate system responses.
Two line element set used for initial conditions for final laboratory.
Senior Design Project:
Designed & manufactured miniaturized high-capacity microscope
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The group project I was assigned to for my senior year, as a form of thesis, was tasked to develop a miniaturized microscope that fits inside a prescribed-size incubator without compromising optic quality. The microscope was to be used inside an incubator to provide a life-like environment to human cells under observation for prolonged studies.
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The team purchased and re-engineered a Nikon microscope with new OEM components and self-designed and manufactured components made of aluminum, stainless steel and PLA using 3D printing techniques.
I was in charge of designing replacement 3D-printed parts, as well as modeling the entire apparatus on SolidWorks, including 2D part drawings. I also sourced quality components from boutique microscopy stores.
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My team's final presentation given alongside all other projects received third place out of the entire mechanical engineering class (over 200 students)!
3D model using SolidWorks.
Finalized product inside incubator.