Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | University of Virginia

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory Undergraduate Grader January 2025 - May 2025

Supervised lab section of 13 developing and testing hypotheses on electro-mechanical systems and fluid dynamics.
Monitored use of wind tunnels, pressurized & oscillating thrust systems, universal dynamometers, Wheatstone bridge-based strain gauges, cart dynamics. Gave demonstrations of use for each and troubleshot as necessary.
Held weekly office hours and created lab software guides (e.g., PASCO Capstone) to support student learning.
Evaluated mechanical engineering knowledge and teamwork through detailed reviews of group presentations and lab reports, supporting career readiness among junior and senior students.
Improved lab effectiveness by initiating pre-lab practice for TAs, resulting in more organized and efficient sessions.

Co-developed grading rubrics and evaluated assignments for 84 students, maintaining grading consistency and fairness.

Managed team of 3 in researching, developing, and manufacturing pregnancy protein supplement by creating schedule; leading market, demographic, and formulation research; and assisting in manufacturer research and selection.
Partnered with an undergrad to finalize educational PowerPoints for midwives on promoting healthy eating in food deserts; created a 10-question post-quiz with answer explanations for certification.

Led 3 separate ~5-person design teams pursuing pre-CDR system design, calculations/analysis, and detailed design.
Co-authored grant application for $86,000 5 m x 3 m x 0.5 m lunar-simulant testing arena. Cooperated with Environment Health & Safety (EHS) to reduce arena hazards. Delivered pitch to grant board of 65, securing funding.
Created regolith arena floor plan and drawing. Ran FEA on simplified arena model to understand static external loads.
Launched and managed R&D team — created timeline, tracked dust-related triboelectricity studies.
Developed and taught SOLIDWORKS lesson plans to 20+ new members on part design, mating, and linear patterns.
Oversaw manufacturing and testing by coordinating 15–20 members and tracking progress and unit testing results

Built Python GUI to batch-process 50+ tensile tests, calculate UTS/strain, & generate stress-strain curves in Excel.
Independently conducted tensile tests of 50+ recycled plastic/carbon fiber samples to assess mechanical properties.
Assisted 1D/2D DIC setup to analyze torsion effects on composites in 2+ test sessions.
Injection-molded 20+ recycled plastic samples to evaluate composite materials for electric vehicle applications.
Studied ASTM D256 & E143 to understand impact resistance & shear modulus testing for recycled plastic composites.
Drafted 10+ usability improvement proposals for the lab extrusion machine, detailing benefits and drawbacks of each.

Collaborated directly with professor to develop rubrics and grade assignments for 105 students.

Ran internal flow solver with tree-topological local mesh refinement on UVA Rivanna Supercomputer to simulate fish-swimming fluid dynamics and support bio-inspired robot design.
Visualized simulations in Tecplot; monitored runs, resolved errors, and maintained detailed documentation.
Prepared weekly slide decks to communicate research progress and findings.

Enhanced TunaBot speed and tail motion using Arduino PID Controller and TimerInterrupt libraries.
Diagnosed performance and signal issues with oscilloscope and unit tests; documented results to improve iteratively.

Established Systems Engineering Lead role before 2023–2024 season; defined duties and scope from ground up.
Served as primary author of 27-page systems engineering report, resulting in 17.5% score improvement over previous.
Led 3 design reviews—System Requirements Review, Preliminary Design Review, & Critical Design Review.
Derived initial requirements and allocated them across systems hierarchy; refined through stakeholder collaboration.

Created weekly quizzes with 2 students and 3 professors to test 200 students each semester on electromagnetism.

Maintained operational continuity by managing elections and onboarding new leadership.
Strengthened team culture through events and internal communications. Wrote grants and year-end reports.
Mechanical Team Member September 2021 - May 2025
CAD-ed parts/assemblies with parametric design and configurations for electronics protection. Proficient in SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal and CAD PDM software to manage large assemblies. Delegated to 15-20.
Machined skid-steer grouser-applied wheeled drivetrain and excavation system (bucket ladders/bucket drums) yearly.
Created testing resources — documentation, arena map, and props to simulate arena.