I’ve always had a passion for building functional mechanical objects that solve everyday problems. The process of starting with a bit of raw material and ending up with a machined, welded, cast, forged, or 3D printed product that serves a purpose is still like magic to me.
I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by a wonderful family and some close friends that have always shared and supported my hobbies and ambitions. Going to MIT (B.S.) and then Stanford (M.S.) was, in my mind, largely a result of what started out as simple pastimes. Over the years those hobbies have progressed from things like RC cars and model rockets to TIG welding, CNC machining and Arduino projects, but their essence of creativity coupled with some engineering know-how remains the same to me.
I tend to become very devoted to (read: obsessed with) any project that I find interesting and challenging. In high school, for example, a simple independent study on hydrogen generation became the basis for a 2 year quest of building and testing various water electrolysis tubs. The project culminated in my buying and repairing a 1970’s GE proton-exchange-membrane hydrogen generator; that story served as the basis of my MIT admissions essay.
I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by a wonderful family and some close friends that have always shared and supported my hobbies and ambitions. Going to MIT (B.S.) and then Stanford (M.S.) was, in my mind, largely a result of what started out as simple pastimes. Over the years those hobbies have progressed from things like RC cars and model rockets to TIG welding, CNC machining and Arduino projects, but their essence of creativity coupled with some engineering know-how remains the same to me.
I tend to become very devoted to (read: obsessed with) any project that I find interesting and challenging. In high school, for example, a simple independent study on hydrogen generation became the basis for a 2 year quest of building and testing various water electrolysis tubs. The project culminated in my buying and repairing a 1970’s GE proton-exchange-membrane hydrogen generator; that story served as the basis of my MIT admissions essay.