ME03 - Design of a Lawn Mower Assembly Hanger

Major / Mechanical Engineering

Minor / Mathematics

Role / Stress Analysis

Caleb Strong is a senior in the mechanical engineering program and will graduate cum laude with a minor in mathematics. During his time at Wichita State, Caleb has been involved in a variety of organizations, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Black Student Union, Ambassadors of Diversity and Inclusion, and Black Academic Honor Society. Caleb was also a tutor and mentor for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. During the summer of 2019, Caleb held a position at Textron Aviation where he was able to help assist in the design of environmental and control systems for the Cessna Denali, and then transitioned in Fall 2019 to the Flight Simulation and Systems Test Lab at Textron where he has been able to assist in the development and certification testing of various equipment that will be a part of the Cessna SkyCourier. Upon graduation, Caleb will begin his career at Textron Aviation as a Systems Test Engineer and will also be pursuing his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

Major / Mechanical Engineering

Minor / Mathematics

Role / CATIA Modeling and Drafting

Tyler Dawley is a senior mechanical engineering student. He will be graduating magna cum laude with a minor in mathematics. Tyler has had several internship experiences during his college career. Tyler first interned at a small aerospace job shop called High Tech Solutions back in his hometown of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. This experience helped get his foot in the door with Airbus Americas Engineering on WSU’s campus where he was an ALP co-op with their Standard Parts Qualification team sophomore year. After Airbus, Tyler then interned at Textron Aviation for nearly a year with their Quality Assurance and Tooling Engineering groups. This most recent summer Tyler interned at Spirit AeroSystems getting involved with the Global Core Quality Program. After graduation, Tyler will be staying with Spirit AeroSystems in a full time Quality engineering role. Throughout his internship experiences, Tyler has gotten to work across multiple commercial/private aerospace programs and platforms including the Airbus A320, Beechcraft turboprops, Citation Longitude, Cessna SkyCourier, and Gulfstream G650 via the Rolls-Royce BR725 engine nacelle build-up. His passion for airplanes and engineering is what drove him to pursue a career in the aerospace manufacturing sector. Tyler’s industrial knowledge and skills are Quality control/assurance, technical writing, process control, root cause analysis, engineering design, CATIA modeling, and problem solving. His favorite hobbies include gaming, longboarding, working out, and watching the Chiefs/Royals win!

Major / Mechanical Engineering

Minor / Mathematics

Role / Mechanical Design and Analysis

Tony Ibarra-Leyva is graduating with a mechanical engineering degree with a minor in mathematics. Tony has been heavily involved in a variety of organizations across campus such as Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc., Hispanic American Leadership Organization, and Ambassadors for Diversity and Inclusion. Tony was able to conduct research with Dr. Yihun during Summer 2019 where he learned about inverse and forward kinematics for 6 DOF robots and the application of electroencephalography for human machine interaction on the surface of Mars. He was also able to co-op with Delta Air Lines Technical Operations in Atlanta, GA as a fleet engineer for three semesters where he gained valuable experience in aircraft systems, reliability and root cause analysis, and technical configuration control methods. Furthermore, his leadership experience as part of these organizations has given him a desire to pursue an engineering management master’s degree and apply his education towards a career in the field of aviation.

Major / Mechanical Engineering

Minor / Mathematics

Role / Mechanical Design and Analysis; Meeting Minutes

Evan Waddell is a senior in the mechanical engineering program and will graduate magna cum laude with a minor in mathematics. Evan has been involved in multiple organizations during his time at Wichita State including Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. Evan interned at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) where he utilized digital imaging correlation software to analyze and reduce strain and displacement data for crack propagation, buckling, and possible defects during material testing. Additionally, he received the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities grant to pursue undergraduate research for the Mechanical Engineering Department at Wichita State University. His research focused on investigating an effective method toward an affordable deicing approach without the use of any toxic, or heavy de-icing fluid. Furthermore, Evan has worked on diverse class projects such as: modeling of a human cervical spine for impact analysis; analyzing Spirit AeroSystems water treatment facility for environmental and community impacts; and designing a sliding lawn mower assembly hanger. Through these experiences, Evan has acquired knowledge in multiple computer-aided engineering software as well as progressed his soft skills in teamwork, collaboration, and time management. After graduation, Evan plans to apply his education in the aerospace, automotive, or defense industry.