My research experience began at CU Boulder under the direction of a graduate student, Bret Boyle, and his advisor, Prof. Garret Miyake, of the Materials Science and Engineering Department as well as the Chemistry Department. Prof. Miyake then moved his lab to the Department of Chemistry within Colorado State University, however, I was able to continue working on the additive manufacturing research project in his group.
Miyake and Boyle's overall goal was to develop a 3D printer head that could prototype, and test how well, experimental materials and polymers could be 3D printed. Currently, the materials used in additive manufacturing revolve around a core set of polymers, but by designing and developing a more versatile printer head, we could potentially expand the reach of the additive manufacturing field. My main responsibility revolves around the designing and prototyping of a new printer head which is where I was able to contribute my mechanical engineering experience to the project's end goal and really help to develop a new method of 3D printing to the field of additive manufacturing.
I will be graduating this year with a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in Computer Science; my hope is to go into the development of robotics systems and AI implementation.