I am a first year student majoring in Materials Sciences and Engineering. I am from Rochester Hills, Michigan and have been interested in chemistry and related fields since I was first introduced to it. I chose MSE to satisfy my drive to learn chemistry while simultaneously wanting to be able to apply what I learned to materials and products. I have always been one for engineering and building while my interest in chemistry has been relatively recent. Since middle school I have involved myself with DIY and engineering through sites like Instructables [1] and the show I accredit with eventually leading to my STEM career, Mythbusters. In High school I was introduced to structured engineering in the form of FIRST Robotics end soon after introduced to chemistry in my first real chemistry class. These combined made up the vast majority of the relevant experiences I had in High School that helped me get to where I am today. Now in college, I hope to continue learning about engineering and chemistry as I study Materials Sciences and Engineering. I dream that this will take me on my way towards finding a job where I can enjoy doing what I love every day and being able to make a career out of it.
Interests[edit | edit source]
- First and foremost, chemistry and it's applications. From when I first came into the class room almost 2 years I knew it was something I would come to live, learn, and love and eventually make into a career. With the help of my chemistry teacher acting as a mentor I was able to hone my skills and abilities into a future for myself. Since then I have continued to learn about chemistry, materials, properties and the world it creates around me.
- More specifically I have found myself focusing on metallurgy and ceramics. The idea of metals, alloys, and the incredible range of properties one could obtain from altering something as simple as cooling and heating fascinates me. The endless properties and unique materials that can arise from a limited set of metals means a specific alloy and set of properties for every application.
- During my time on my FIRST Robotics team I was given the privilege of being given almost free reign on the use of our first 3D printer. A simple EkoCycle Cube with next to no one there with previous experience. My excessive time spent at robotics and the demand for 3D printed parts at some point or another meant I was able to spend the year playing, experimenting, and learning about 3D printing. A mentor on the team assisted my journey and introduced me to many resources and aided my discovery of my interest in 3D printing. By the end of the year I was completely in charge of 3D printing and had been spending time teaching the underclassmen how to use the printer. I became known for doing a wide amount of 3D printing and had truly discovered something I found deeply interesting simply by chance.
Recent Personal Projects[edit | edit source]
- Long time interest and work with compressed air guns. Using PVC and modified electric sprinkler valves I created my first one in middle school. Since then I continued to do work on them for the next couple years and have made some capable of shooting a golf ball 150+ yards.
- Selected parts for and built my own desktop computer
- Created a Diamagnetic bismuth levitator for my chemistry teacher as a gift. It uses Bismuth's strong diamagnetic properties to float a magnet between two plates in a state of equilibrium.
Diamagnetic bismuth levitator
Experience[edit | edit source]
- 2 years working with AutoDesk Inventor software in High School robotics. 4 Semesters of in class experience. Was very involved with the CAD team and oversaw much of the work being done by others.
- 1 Year of 3D printing. I ran my schools 3D printer for my senior year. Using AutoDesk Invetor for modeling parts. The printer used was a EkoCycle Cube and the software was the provided Cubify Print software.
- 4 years on my robotics team working in the machine shop. 3 years as a leader. Deep experience in mechanics and design.
- Introductory programming experience in Java
- Personal DIY experience