Hi all! My name is Jordan Duhe, and I am a mechanical engineer and Space Studies student in Rice’s Professional Master’s Program.

I graduated from LSU Mechanical Engineering in 2012 and then worked for 7 years in plastic parts manufacturing. I worked for an injection molding facility as a plastic part designer specializing in design for manufacturability for injection molding and molding process optimization.

In 2019 I moved to Houston and began working at Johnson Space Center as a mechanical design engineer on the VIPER rover project- a robotic rover that will search for water ice on the surface of the south pole of the moon.

One thing that I’ve built at work that I’m proud of is a sheet metal structure that goes on the rover and supports MLI (Multi-Layer Insulation) and nav camera calibration targets. I’ve included a picture below of me with a prototype of this structure. While I designed and assembled this assembly, including match drilling and riveting, I didn’t cut or bend the sheet metal parts. I don’t have a lot of experience with that stage of part fabrication, and I am looking forward to gaining some of that experience in this course.

I also enjoy cooking and making new dishes. Here are a couple of recipes I’ve made recently. A focaccia, and a mushroom risotto with seared scallops.

I would love to be able to learn enough woodworking or metal working to make projects for my home. One thing I’d like to make is a system to hold and display wine bottles. I’m most looking forward to learning how to use CNC machines.