Connor Trautwein
UNC Charlotte Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Portfolio
Work Experience
Undergraduate Research Assistant
May 2022 - Current
Applied machine learning principles to identify efficient swimming gaits for a simple aquatic fishlike robot. Designed, built, and deployed a solar-powered swimming robot to autonomously develop a repertoire of swimming gaits in an outdoor body of water. Programmed the robot using Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms with C++ and Python programming languages.
Independent Contractor
August 2020 - Current
Remodeled properties in need of major renovations by performing a broad range of construction services. Studied blueprint specifications and sketches to determine project layout, dimensions, and materials. Operated various power tools to complete projects with precision and efficiency. Assembled, installed, and tested basic electrical wiring, applicances, or fixtures.
Event Staff
March 2018 - March 2020
Worked with team members to provide event services for parties involving hundreds of guests. Maintained cleanliness of the event facilities and ensured guest satisfaction. Worked flexibly in various food preparation positions to provide catering services for events.
Education
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 3.79/4.0
August 2019 - December 2022
Technical Electives and Design Courses
- Applied Vehicle Aerodynamics
- Advanced Fluid Mechanics
- Advanced CAD/CAM
- Sustainable Energy
- Thermal/Fluids Design
York Technical College
University Transfer
GPA: 3.76/4.0
August 2018 - August 2019
GPA: 3.79/4.0
August 2019 - December 2022
Technical Electives and Design Courses
- Applied Vehicle Aerodynamics
- Advanced Fluid Mechanics
- Advanced CAD/CAM
- Sustainable Energy
- Thermal/Fluids Design
York Technical College
University Transfer
GPA: 3.76/4.0
August 2018 - August 2019
GPA: 3.76/4.0
August 2018 - August 2019
Technical Skills
- PTC Creo Parametric
- SolidWorks
- MATLAB
- Microsoft Office Suite
- MathCAD
- Star CCM+
- Technical Writing
Soft Skills
- Teamwork
- Verbal/Written Communication
- Time Management
- Leadership
- Adaptability
Projects
Collaborated with a team to design and build a remote-controlled mobile crane robot. Led the electronics and controls subsystem team and conducted circuit and battery performance analysis. Developed code in Arduino IDE to operate the robot drivetrain, gripper, and lifter subsystems. For the Fall 2021 semester, our team won the best overall robot in competition against five other design teams.
Utilized Star-CCM+ to perform CFD analysis on a standard pickup truck and minimal spec series racecar that were modeled in SolidWorks. Identification of meshing insufficiencies during post processing were addressed to produce refined simulations to capture critical flow characteristics of each vehicle. Analysis of flow visualization and engineering values of interest was performed to determine the most efficient vehicle configuration for each model.
Researched, developed, and tested a pair of devices capable of mechanical sensing of underwater wave propagation through an aquatic medium. Constructed arrays of differential pressure sensors and hot wire anemometers capable of receiving spatially distributed signals transmitted through the fluid. Applied signal processing to accurately sense the location and movement of solid bodies via mechanical signals transmitted through the fluid medium.
Modeled a single-pass shell and tube heat exchanger using SolidWorks. Heat transfer analysis of the model was performed using both the NTU and LMTD methods. The heat exchanger was modeled using a 5-ft. long, 12-in. inner diameter shell. The tube-side consisted of 81 3/4-in. 16 BWG tubes on a 1-in. square pitch.
Collaborated with a team to design a compact travel case in Creo Parametric. Produced accompanying technical documentation and developed a website utilizing HTML to display the product.
Designed and prototyped a smart water faucet sensing system consisting of ultrasonic, thermistor, and flow rate sensors. Programmed multiple Particle Argon microcontrollers to communicate sensor data via WiFi and display real time data through an online application.