Teaching Students (and learning along the way!)

Starting in summer of 2020 I have had the pleasure of working under professor David Wallace in the MIT CADLAB. The lab explores the process by which designers create new products and how users interact with products and the world around them, empowering both groups to create better experiences with their products and environment.

I have worked in both operational/TA roles and as a full instructor for the senior mechanical engineering capstone class 2.009 “Product Design and Development” as well as for the freshman introductory class 2.00b “Toy Product Design.” Therefore, I am experienced both on the teaching side of an educational program as well as the logistical/planning side.

I have guided students through the process of creating novel products such as a wheelchair attachment to allow for easier door-opening, a compliant vise that uses granular jamming principles to grip complex geometries, and a beach-deployable sand cooling device to help mitigate the effects of climate change on sea turtle populations.

In 2020, I was also awarded the “Carl G. Sontheimer Prize for Creativity and Innovation in Design” as a result of creative teaching methods employed during the brunt of the pandemic.