When I finished my graduate degree, I knew that I was ready to put my engineering knowledge to use doing something to help people. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do just that, and help companies, engineers, and other inventors gain exclusive rights to the use and manufacture of their unique inventions by working as a Patent Examiner.

The most important qualities of a good Patent Examiner are attention to detail, the ability to work independently, and the ability to manage one's time. By achieving two promotions in less than two years at the Office, I was able to demonstrate my commitment to excellence and my ability to learn and adapt my work habits to improve my productivity.

As a graduate student, I was lucky enough to have multiple jobs at N.C. State. My first semester, I was a Teaching Assistant and taught the first mechanical engineering lab students take. In this lab, basic physical principles are explored, including torque, stress, strain, and the proper laboratory procedures to measure each. Some basic circuitry is also covered.

For two semesters of graduate school, I was a Research Assistant in the System Design Optimization Laboratory. My research, which was also used in my thesis, focused on the potential use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the public power industry.

In my final semester of graduate school, I taught the second mechanical engineering lab for undergraduate students, which focuses on fluids and thermodynamics.

RedViking Engineering is an engineering firm with a branch in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was one of only two interns in that location, which allowed me to be involved in several engineering projects in all stages of the design and manufacturing process. I worked on the design and testing of high speed gearboxes; the construction, testing, and modification of a precision drilling machine; and assisted in the design of a sensor testing protocol.

During my undergraduate career at N.C. State, I gained many of the tools necessary to succeed as an engineer. I was the Vice President of Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honors society, and during my senior year I worked on undergraduate research focusing on fluid flow through a restricted system.

During my first internship at Boeing, I worked as a Stress Analyst for the International Docking Adapter (IDA) for the International Space Station (ISS). I learned and used MSC Patran and Nastran, the software preferred by NASA at the time.

For my second internship, I worked as a Design Intern for the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage. I used Creo Pro/E to make and change drawings from parts for the SLS, and worked with a team to ensure that all of the drawings met Quality Assurance (QA) standards.

During my sophomore year at NC State, I worked in the Classroom Technology (ClassTech) division of the University's Office of Information Technology. While there, I learned the structure and management of the classroom setups at NC State, as well as important skills that can keep a team running smoothly. I also communicated with professors and external suppliers to keep classroom technology in order.

My graduate thesis focused on the cost and effectiveness of using commercially available unmanned aircraft systems in the inspection of power distribution systems. This was accomplished by dissecting the tasks involved in the inspection of power distribution systems, determining which tasks could feasibly be accomplished using UAS, fielding a survey to determine the cost of current methods of inspection, and creating a cost model which could be used to determine the cost of current methods of inspection for municipalities of varying sizes. A cost model was then developed which calculated the cost of inspecting a power distribution system with UAS; this allowed for the direct comparison of the two methods.

My finished thesis can be viewed through the North Carolina State University Libraries Collection of Theses and Dissertations.

This course focused on the design of electromechanical systems, including not only basic and complex principles of electromechanical systems, but also a demonstration of the application of the principles learned. For this demonstration, my team created a synchronous generator. We also worked on a project which focused on the design and optimization of a haptic feedback system which utilized magnetorheological (MR) fluid. Through this class, I learned the basics of the software tool FEMM. 

The course I took on engineering optimization allowed me to learn about both gradient-based and heuristic-based methods of optimization. Gradient optimization methods explored included golden section, steepest descent, Fletcher-Reeves, BFGS, and more. Genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, and the swarm method were some of the heuristic methods learned. The image shown on the right comes from a project I completed using a genetic algorithm; the focus of this project was the optimization of the set point of an indoor thermostat, and allowed for a complex polynomial to be substituted for a single ideal temperature. This allows for both a decrease in the predicted heating bill of a home, and an improved user experience.

This class focused on the different methods of additive manufacturing, including FDM, SLA, SLS, and much more. In this class, I learned the basics of Geomagic, Meshmixer, and Autodesk Fusion 360. Using these tools and my knowledge of SolidWorks, I was able to work with several different types of additive manufacturing to print a hand for a child through the E-Nabling the Future project. I was also able to design and 3D-print a replica of a bacteriophage with a working, "injecting" core. I also explored some of the 3D scanners available, and compared their results when scanning a child's toy.

The course I took on Space Exploration Systems taught not only the basics of orbital mechanics and spacecraft design, but also emphasized complex problem solving and teamwork. As a part of the final project for the class, a team of graduate students chose to enter NASA's RASC-AL design competition, for which we conceptualized and designed a 1G space station, theoretically capable of operating independently from Earth. Two of my favorite responsibilities for this project were creating a CAD model of the ship and developing an accurate model of the ecosystem loop on board, to track and optimize the flow of nutrients and materials through the ship's systems.

As an undergraduate student, one of my professors selected me to participate in a research project. During the course of the project, I investigated and identified the cause of a fluid flow problem that a specific product, a fluid transfer spike, continued to have. I utilized computational fluid dynamics and experimentation to determine the cause of the issue. I then generated a solution using CAD modeling in SolidWorks and 3D printed a scale model of the revised spike for testing. 

This class focused on the engineering research and science behind product design. Design methodologies, processes, and theories were discussed and practiced, as well as methods of capturing customer preferences and measures of design functionality. For the final project in this class, I worked on a team that looked at redesigning an outdoor grill to incorporate the features which users indicated they would most appreciate.