Hey y’all! My name is Damian Gonzalez, and I am a junior Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Engineering Design. My residential college is the best one, McMurtry.
I am currently working at Preston Innovation (PI) Labs and engage in research mainly concerning thermal fluids. More specifically I am working with an invention in our lab called the multiplexed coalescence filter, which is shown below.
When I am not doing research I am a love being a Jazz musician. I play a mean trombone.
In terms of the OEDK, I have participated in several design projects. I have worked on creating an I.V. Stand that is collapsible and easily transportable in ENGI 120. This was mainly for people considering transporting I.V. Stands in Brazil due current I.V. Stands being too hard to transport and too rigid to use in these small areas. Below this paragraph are a few pictures of the finished product. Then in ENGI 200 I worked on creating a Coral Flow Chamber that is able to recreate the ambient conditions that would normally be in the Coral’s habitat.
HDPE Base w/ Male and Female Coupling Connection
Aluminum Hook
Aluminum Pole
I am proud of the I.V. stand that my team and I created in ENGI 120 not because it is the most intricate stand, or the fact that it met all of the client’s and user’s needs, but mainly because it was my first project that I undertook under the OEDK. It laid the groundwork for all the projects that I would take in the future both in and out of the OEDK.
One thing that I hope to make in the future is an Iron Man suit. However in the near future, I would want to create an assisted walking device. Back home I see people struggle doing everyday tasks due to the fact that it is hard for them to simply walk there. More specifically I have seen both my grandmother and uncle struggle with this. Being able to give back to my community and my family is something I aim to do, and I hope to start that this semester. Than later down the road, I can maybe give them all Iron Man suits.
One thing I hope to learn in ENGI 210 is to create gaskets and molds. The reasoning for that is that I often have to try to create my own O-Rings for lab and for personal projects. Instead of buying them, I try to create my own with somewhat sporadic success. I hope to simply refine my craft here in ENGI 210 and learn more tips and tricks of the trade for being an engineer.
