Project Portfolio

MEMS Design: Anemometer

Project: ENGR 406 MEMS Project

Date: April 30, 2026

Collaborators: Brett Bittner, Isaac Moore,

Carter Jardine

Project Overview

This project explored Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) to create a hot wire anemometer.

Functionality: It measures airflow speed over the wires using the variability of the convection coefficient, which is proportional to the resistance in the wires. Resistance was measured using a National Instruments DMM USB-4065. The data collection was done using MATLAB.

Design: The design featured resistive wires lifted from a substrate to minimize reverberatory noise, positioned to measure flow traveling parallel to the substrate.

Figure 1: Anemometer Video Report

File 1: Project Report

Soft Robotics Design

Project: ENGR 382 Final Project

Date: April 25, 2026

Collaborators: Carter Jardine

Project Overview

The objective of this project is to design, build, and validate a soft robotic end effector capable of twisting open a standard bottle cap in a controlled and reliable manner. This system integrates core principles of soft robotics and mechanical design learned in biomedical engineering.

Skills Developed

Soft robotics design and compliant mechanism development
Pneumatic and actuator-based motion systems
CAD modeling and rapid prototyping workflows
Material selection for flexibility, durability, and deformation control
Mechanical design iteration and experimental testing

Figure 2: Soft Robotics Video Report

File 2: Project Report

File 3: Engineering Drawing Package

Tissue Engineering: Liquid Hydrogel Dressing Device

Project: ENGR 495 Final Project

Date: April 30, 2026

Collaborators: Iker Urtega

Project Overview

Designed a bioactive wound dressing system for burns, abrasions, and avulsions. The device is designed to deliver a fibrin-based polymer solution containing mesenchymal stem cells and FGF-2 growth factors, which solidifies directly on the wound surface in response to naturally released calcium and factor XIII. We also designed a biomimetic skin model to evaluate scaffold performance, hydrogel polymerization, and tissue regeneration potential, without relying on animal testing.

Key Skills & Knowledge Developed

Biomaterials selection and hydrogel scaffold design
Controlled drug and growth factor delivery strategies
Stem cell integration in biomedical devices
Biomedical device prototyping and experimental design
Understanding of wound healing physiology and biocompatibility
Translating biological mechanisms into engineering solutions
Technical documentation and scientific communication
Systems-level thinking for medical device development
Research and development workflow experience for biomedical applications

Figure 3: Liquid Hydrogel Dressing Design and Testing Apperatus

File 3: Project Report

Manufacturing Processes: Model Train Cannon

Project: MANF 377 Final Project

Date: December 12, 2025

Collaborators: Joshua Worsley-Brown, Mason Schroeder, Luke Parnitzke, Lara Ranasinghe

Project Overview

This project involved the design and fabrication of a model train equipped with a cannon assembly. The objective was

to apply various manufacturing techniques to create a

functional, assembled prototype.

Manufacturing Processes Used

Waterjet Cutting: Used for the train base and side walls.
Milling: Employed to create flats and internal cutouts.
Lathe Turning: Used for the wheels, axles, and the cannon cylinder.
Drill Press: Utilized for drilling and tapping holes for bolts, axles, and the hitch.

Figures 2-5: Shop Drawings

Design of Machine Elements: Single-Stage Reduction Gearbox

Project: ENGR 380 Term Project

Date: April 11, 2023

Collaborators: Nathan Dong, Sahil Gupta, Scott Halston, Harshil Chauhan, Gurkirat Dhamija, Julian Alviento

Project Overview

The goal was to design a single-stage reduction gearbox for a vessel propulsion system. The system was required to reduce an input speed of 1750 RPM to an output speed of 500 RPM while maintaining 25 HP.

Figure 8: SolidWorks render

Figure 7: Expanded View of gearbox assembly

Design Specifications

Materials: 40 Cast Iron for gears to balance cost and machining characteristics; 1045 Hot Rolled steel for shafts.
Gears: 63-tooth main gear with a 300 helix angle and a 10.13-inch center distance.
Safety Factors: Achieved a fatigue safety factor of 2.5 for shafts and met all bending and surface safety requirements for gears.

Materials Engineering: Alloy Selection and Carburization

Project: ENGR 376 Final Project

Date: December 7, 2023

Project Overview

The project focused on selecting an optimal steel alloy and

designing a carburization process for a gearbox application

with specific hardness requirements.

Methodology and Results

Alloy Selection: After analyzing Jominy end-quench data for the 86-series steels, 8630 steel was selected for its ability to meet center hardness requirements when water-quenched.
Optimization: MATLAB was used to optimize the carburization process for cost, modeling the relationship between pressure, time, and temperature to achieve a surface hardness of 62 HRC at a depth of 0.2mm.

Figure 9 shows a 4D plot that minimizes the cost of the carburization process, with the heat/color map representing the cost of the carburization process.

Figure 9: Optimization of the carburization process

Computational Fluid Dynamics: Bow Shock Analysis

Project: ENGR 491 Software Exercise 4

Author: Oliver Hale

Project Overview

This exercise involved simulating and analyzing

fluid flow characteristics, specifically focusing on

pressure and velocity distributions during a bow shock event, which is a case of supersonic flow over a sharp obstruction. The simulation was run using OpenFOAM, and the results were visualized using ParaView.

Key Skills & Knowledge Developed

OpenFOAM For CFD Simulation
Paraview for Data Visualization
Linux (to run OpenFOAM)
Principles of Supersonic Flow

This project displays the extraordinary potential of CFD to model supersonic fluid flow, but it also highlights how results cannot always be trusted.

Figure 10: Velocity of flow in a bow shock event

Figure 11: Pressure of flow in a bow shock event

CNG Fuel System

I designed a compressed natural gas fuel system. The design includes 4 cylinders, inline pressure relief devices, and a fuel management module. The design is similar to the CNG tanks manufactured by companies like Hexagon Agility. I am currently playing with the idea of having a set of heat exchangers and a heat sink to save some of the heat lost while fueling the cylinders. Please contact me if you would like a copy of the AutoCAD file.

Figure 12: Fuel management module

Figure 13: CNG fuel cylinders

Energy Assesment for a Net Zero Home

In 2021 my family built a net zero home. The home has solar power, a septic system, and a rain collection system. The solar power providies enough energy to heat and cool the house, power the pump house, and charge the electric cars.

The home is great, but there are still some issues with the air conditioning and heating. The upstairs suite doesnt heat or cool as well as the ground floor. In an attempt to fix the problem and gain some experience in the field of HVAC I conducted an energy assesment and duct re-design for the home.

I am currently in the proccess of optimizing the duct-work to minimize losses. I will not be renovating the home any time soon but the report I have made may be useful someday.

Figure 14: Duct re-design pt.1 in Revit

Proctor Prediction Neural Network

Author: Oliver Hale

Project Overview

Using Python with Pandas and TensorFlow, I created a neural

network that predicted the dry density/moisture curve using the Gradation data.

Figure 15: Proctor soil density test