Hi!

My name is Rafe Neathery. I’m a sophomore from Will Rice, and I plan on studying Mechanical Engineering with the Engineering Design minor. I’m the nozzle subteam lead on Rice Eclipse, and I’m also leading the structural development of the Rice Owlsat. Combined with ENGI 120, I found myself at the OEDK a lot last year, so I’m very excited to get more acquainted with the machines and processes this year. The thing I’ve made that I’m most proud of is an animatronic figure of Stitch. I’ve been working on it for a long time, and have recently started programming the different functions. I’m also hoping to learn some things in this class that will help me make it more lifelike and engaging. Molding and casting is something I’m especially interested in learning for this project, since I want to eventually create a plastic shell and put a silicone skin over it. I really want to learn more about more hands on processes in the shop, like modeling, casting, and painting. It’s one thing to design something in a computer and see a machine cut it out for you, but I think forming it with my own two hands would be that much more gratifying. I can’t wait to work with y’all in person!