SHEET 01 / 06 — NUSTARS, NORTHWESTERN AEROSPACE TEAM
Liquid Propulsion Nozzle
Helped develop a finite difference method (FDM) model for heat transfer in the nozzle, built in MATLAB with an implicit 2D scheme, to back up ANSYS results — learning the underlying FDM theory to expand the model.
- Built the MATLAB data analysis and visualization for temperature, flux, and stress data, including a function that incorporates temperature-varying material properties into the model.
- Drove the nozzle design and materials research: a throat insert and separated chambers with alignment pins keep performance up at high temperature while cutting cost, with further work on pin and o-ring tolerances.
- Presented the design in a preliminary design review to the propulsion chief engineer.
MATLAB
ANSYS
SolidWorks
Current work
The nozzle team recently presented its preliminary design review. The nozzle is being manufactured in-house now, ahead of hydrostatic testing and hot firing.
SHEET 02 / 06 — NORTHWESTERN SOLAR CAR, SUSPENSION SUBTEAM
Solar Car Brake Rotors
The car's front suspension had a warped rotor and seized calipers. I redesigned all four rotors to fit new calipers while minimizing weight.
- Ran brake calculations and a cost analysis to select the replacement calipers.
- Redesigned the rotors with a larger annulus for brake pad contact and a higher factor of safety, validated in ANSYS FEA.
- Manufactured the rotors myself, gaining hands-on experience with the conversational mill, waterjet, and surface grinder.
ANSYS FEA
SolidWorks
Waterjet / Mill
Current work
The team recently returned from the 2026 Formula Sun Grand Prix. As we head into a new design cycle, I'm designing the car's suspension geometry, working from the 2026 ASC regulations.
SHEET 03 / 06 — FLOW FIELD IMAGING LAB, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Drone Wind Pathing Research
Research on wind-based route optimization for drones, focused on CFD-based design of a miniature city used to validate the pathing model.
- Designed a miniature cityscape from cardboard and acrylic sheets for real-world validation of the drone pathing algorithm.
- Used OpenFOAM CFD both to shape the city into a clear, optimized route, and to train the wind-field prediction model.
- Helped design and build the fan wall — t-slot aluminum framing — used to generate the city's wind conditions, running structural and modal analysis to optimize it for strength and cost.
5.32 × 3.37 mcity model footprint
8 × 5 × 6 mCFD domain size
4,537 CFMper fan, 20 in dia.
4 × 3fan wall columns × fans
OpenFOAM CFD
SolidWorks
Modal analysis
SHEET 04 / 06 — MINNETONKA RESEARCH / MINNESOTA CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS
Paper Additive Research Project
An independent research project on how bio-polymeric additives affect the folding strength of paper, in the context of origami applications.
- Hand-made abaca paper samples at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, alongside a University of Minnesota mentor, at varying levels of biopolymeric additive.
- Tested thickness, folding endurance, folding elasticity, and wet strength of each sample in a lab, then wrote the results up as a research paper.
- Awarded the Grand Silver Award at the Minnesota State Engineering & Science Fair, plus a materials science award from ASM International.
Handmade papermaking
Mechanical testing
SHEET 05 / 06 — DESIGN THINKING & COMMUNICATION, NORTHWESTERN
Extendable Walking Stick
A client with muscular dystrophy needed a portable, discreet way to independently stand up from any chair. Our team built an extendable walking stick that lifts a seated user with the flip of a switch.
- The design was chosen through mock-up testing with the client, for its portability and discreetness: a switch-activated linear actuator, a rechargeable drill battery, and a 3D-printed shell housing the circuitry.
- I led the brainstorming and design decisions, contributed most of the sketches and SolidWorks CAD, and iterated through 3D prints of the shell and the battery connection.
1,000 Nlift force (220 lb)
20 inactuator stroke length
400extensions per charge
5 lbactuator weight
SolidWorks
3D Printing
Linear actuator
SHEET 06 / 06 — DESIGN THINKING & COMMUNICATION, NORTHWESTERN
Automatic Granular Dispenser
Designed for students with limited motor skills, so they could take part in vocational pouring and dispensing tasks with more independence.
- A stepper-motor-driven auger dispenses controlled quantities of material; a lazy-susan turntable lets one run fill multiple containers, and windows into the mechanism keep students engaged with how it works.
- I contributed most to the design, printing, and manufacturing of the mechanical parts — optimizing the auger and its stand for a smaller footprint and easy teardown for cleaning — and produced most of the CAD visuals for the client presentation.
SolidWorks
3D Printing
Stepper motor control
