Hello everyone! To start it off, I’ll introduce myself, my name is Liz Kacpura, and I am a Junior at Wiess College studying Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Design. I’m originally from the Chicago, IL area, but I’ve been able to spend the better part of the last two years around Rice in Houston. In my time here I’ve been able to get involved in a pretty varied set of things. At Wiess, I serve as External Vice president, where I manage the Associates committee and outreach to other colleges and Wiess’s Alumni network. I’ve also worked as a Lab Assistant here at the OEDK for the past year, and through that I’ve been able to learn so much more about a lot of the equipment we have available. Some of my less formal commitments include playing IM sports like powderpuff, innertube water polo, and softball.
In addition to the activities listed above, I’ve also been very involved with making things at the OEDK. This has involved working on design challenges and learning how to use all of the equipment here in the OEDK. One thing I’ve made that has had the most constant impact on my life, and the thing that I’m most proud of, has been a small gyroscope key chain. This was one of the first things I 3D printed, and it has always been a good conversation piece.
In this semester, I am especially excited to learn more about CNC machining. Through my time here I’ve been at least somewhat exposed to most of the machinery here, but I’ve never had a chance to really work with any of the CNC machines.
Semi-related to that, I’m most looking forward to filling in any knowledge gaps I currently have. Admittedly, I do have some pretty extensive experience in many of the areas we’ll be working in this semester, but through my two years at the OEDK, one thing that has stayed constant has been how there is always something new to learn here. And though I may have used some of these machines before, I may have only used them in one way or with one material, so there’s always room for improvement, and I am very excited to see just how much I learn by the end of this semester!
