First-principles + real computation under deadlines

• Built a 6k+ line C++ automatic 2.5D bridge load solver for first-year Structures and Materials.
• Placed 5th out of 96 teams in the design competition, in large part because we could iterate designs rapidly and get near-instant feedback on 9 different load conditions simultaneously.

Wind tunnel and aero data analysis

Aerodynamics lab, airfoil validation

• Ran wind tunnel experiments where the lecture equations become real, and frankly impressive in their accuracy of predicting reality.
• Wrote Python analysis code that processes raw pressure measurements across an airfoil into aerodynamic loads and lift (CL plot shown below).
• The code also visualizes the pressure distribution and surface normals to verify the integration logic against theoretical expectations while quantifying uncertainty.

Structures lab: design, predict, break, learn

• Designed a load-bearing test-piece with strict weight constraints.
• Iterated using analytical analysis and FEA (stress distribution shown below), then tested it on a real bench in a professor's lab at UTIAS.
• The point was understanding where FEA is useful, and where its limitations are (particularly for composite materials) in predicting ultimate strength and the stress/strain curve.

Physics lab with computer vision

• Completed a quantum mechanics lab where we measured Planck's constant by analyzing micro oil droplets suspended in an electric field.
• Used computer vision based image analysis to extract the pixel-velocity rates needed for the deeper calculations to obtain the constant.

Praxis II: a real deployed-style build with stakeholders

• Built an IoT device with real 4G connectivity (tested) to help local cat rescue volunteers safely capture stray cats and get them medical care.
• End-to-end demo with stakeholders: no app install, the interface is purely SMS texting.
• When the trap triggers and the door closes safely, it texts the volunteer the GPS location.