My Experience

OtO Lawn Inc.

Jan 2024 - Apr 2024

In my most recent co-op at OtO, I worked as a mechatronics and product design co-op. OtO is a start-up that has designed a smart sprinkler system for residential lawns. This wifi-connected device is controlled through an app, and is a great product where I got to develop tests to improve it's reliability. The first test fixture I built was to cycle hot and cold water through their units to try and invoke failure. I worked with solenoid valves and wrote scripts in Python to build this test. I also designed and built a fixture that drops a steel ball on their unit from different elevations. This test was used to validate the safety characteristics of the product. The main project I had while at OtO was to improve the connector that users use to supply power to the unit. I developed many tests to narrow down potential options, and gather data to prove which connector is the best. The primary test was using resistors to build a circuit around a submerged enclosure to see which connectors corrode fastest when flooded with water. I worked with SolidWorks to develop a new method of attaching the connector to the product using a plastic snap that will be injection-moulded providing great DFM experience.

Woodbridge Foam Corporation

May 2023 - Aug 2023

In my fourth co-op at Woodbridge, I worked as a mechanical engineering co-op in their technology development department. Woodbridge is a global supplier of foam solutions primarily to the automotive industry. They have facilities worldwide containing hydraulic equipment called "pourheads" that mix and pour foam chemicals into moulds. I had many responsibilities such as investigating the causes of failure of pourheads after millions of cycles in the plant. I developed and presented solutions to prevent failure mechanisms and extend the lifetime of this equipment. I worked on R&D projects such as creating a nozzle testing fixture. This test would gather pressure and flow data produced by precisely machined nozzles to verify whether the resulting liquid jet is within specification. I also got to develop a pourhead design from scratch including the CAD assembly in SolidWorks, sourcing of mechanical seals, and other project management tasks. I gained technical hydraulic, manufacturing, and industrial design experience in this co-op that I hope to expand on in future opportunities.

Cover Technologies

Sep 2022 - Dec 2022

I had the unique opportunity to work at Cover Technologies as a Production and Quality Intern for my third co-op. Cover makes elegantly designed pre-fab homes in a factory that can be installed on-site in less than a month. I worked on the factory floor in Los Angeles where I got exposed to a manufacturing environment that is looking to transition to mass production. The main project I worked on was the information delivery process between the floor and the production team. I gathered data and worked within their ERP system to plan production and estimate throughput. To better monitor progress I worked on dashboards in Metabase that display how the current build is progressing. To improve efficiency, I developed new processes to ensure parts and information are ready before they reach the floor. Lastly, I worked with the quality control team to identify recurring issues and how to mitigate them. I enjoyed my time working at an ambitious startup, and learned a lot about manufacturing and production from a group of experienced engineers and technicians on the operations team.

Canada Post

Jan 2022 - Apr 2022

My second co-op term was at Canada Post as a part of their Process Engineering team. I got to work hands-on in Canada Post's unionized mail sorting facility. I began my time there by learning the many processes that are required to sort and deliver mail. I then got to work on plant layout designs in AutoCAD that improved the processing capability and efficiency of the facility. My main project was repurposing available space by designing and setting up a new sorting process that would replace an industrial machine. This required extensive data gathering and analysis of the mail volumes being sorted on machines to influence process design decisions. This project had to go through many iterations and approvals but was eventually implemented with good results on the floor. Even though this was not a manufacturing environment, this experience translates well to creating an efficient production line with large-scale machines and equipment.

Lorcan Technologies

May 2021 - Aug 2021

My first co-op term is where I had the privilege of working at Lorcan Technologies as an IoT and Automation Engineering student. Lorcan is making a transceiver to transmit data from environmental sensors in remote areas of the world. There were many projects on the go at this start-up revolving around hardware and product design. My main task was to build the first prototype of a long-range mesh network. This involved working with a TI microcontroller and building a dashboard in React to remotely monitor the network. I did extensive field testing in which the range between nodes was increased by 50m during my time at Lorcan. I also prototyped with solar panels and charging circuits to see if the transceivers will receive sufficient power in the wilderness to recharge it's batteries. I also did some mechanical design work in Solidworks creating the first draft of an IP-rated enclosure to house the electronics, batteries, solar panels, and antenna.

University of Waterloo

Sep 2020 - Present

I am now entering my final year at Waterloo where I have studied mechanical engineering for the past four years. I have learned many new skills through my schooling such as being introduced to SolidWorks and AutoCAD in first year, getting to fabricate parts in the student machine shop, and also using MATLAB for various mathematical models. I have also completed many interesting projects through my coursework. I modelled the flight of a baseball in MATLAB, designed a 3D Printed a phone stand, built an interactive keyboard game in C++, and the ME 380 mechanical design project. Some of my favourite courses so far have been Electromechanical Devices, thermodynamics, and mechanical design. I enjoyed these courses because they were very new concepts to me such that I learned new skills that were applicable to real-life engineering. I am proud of how I've done academically, achieving the Dean's Honour List twice, and a cumulative GPA of 89%.