Engineer Assistant
Resume:
Erik L. Kaitfors
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikkaitfors
****.********@*****.***
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605) 641 - 6080
CAREER SUMMARY
An entry level engineer with background in robotics research. Multifaceted background including leadership experience as Chief Engineer of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Team, Teaching Assistant for Mechatronics, \& IT Support Technician. Focusing in dynamic modeling for various systems and their application to embedded control systems. Also very keen design and manufacturing skills with a respectable knowledge of programming.
Very personable and willing to help and teach anyone. Experience with small team management and operations from time with UAV team. Very willing to listen before speaking and able to communicate opinions and ideas effectively. Quick to learn anything related to computer software or hardware. Great documentation and technical communication background.
EDUCATION
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD, Oct 2011
GPA: 3.25 Concentrations: Control Systems, Dynamics Modeling, & Fluid Dynamics
Thesis: Rotor Dynamic Modeling with Application to Quadrotor UAV Control
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD, May 2008
GPA: 2.9 Concentrations: Heat Transfer, Fluid Dynamics, & Physics
PROJECTS
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Research, SDSM&T UAV Team, Sept '08 - Aug '11
* Chief Engineer, Fall '10
* International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC), summers '08 - '11
* Real-Time Control Systems Simulation & Application, May '11 - Aug '11
* Quadrotor UAV Dynamics Modeling & Control, Sept '08 - May '11
* Quadrotor UAV Airframe Design & Manufacturing, May '10 - Aug '10
* Automated System Identification of Rotor Dynamics, Nov '09 - May '11
* Senior Design Team, Multiple Small UAV Integration & Release, Fall '06 & Fall '07
Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope Design, SDSM&T Physics Dept., May '08 - Aug '08
EMPLOYMENT
Research Project Assistant, SDSM&T RIAS Dept., Rapid City, SD, Aug '11 - Present
Accomplishments: Design the mechanical system and control algorithms for a tilt-rotor
and vectored thrust quadrotor vehicle.
Graduate Research Assistant (UAV Team), SDSM&T ME Dept., Rapid City, SD, Aug '08 - Aug '11
Accomplishments: 3D Fluent Analysis, Airframe Design, Involved with Kinect Application
& Development, Rotor 3D CAD Model, Rotor System Identification, & Sub-Vehicle Release Mechanism
Graduate Teaching Assistant (Mechatronics), SDSM&T EE Dept., Rapid City, SD, Aug '10 - May '11
Accomplishments: Designed rules and guidelines for Robot Race, Worked with Arduino embedded
controller, Supervised various mechatronic projects, & Graded lab reports.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, SDSM&T Physics Dept., Rapid City, SD, May '08 - Aug '08
Accomplishments: Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope Design (NSOM), Laser Safety Training,
Liquid Helium Cryostat Knowledge, & Nano Probe Etching Understanding.
Engineering Intern, Hutchinson Technology Inc., Sioux Falls, SD, Jan '07 - Aug '07
Accomplishments: 3 Sigma, Lean 5S Organizational System, Laser Safety Training, Lotus Notes & Paper-
work, Production Tooling CAD Design and Revision, QA work, Statistical Analysis on Production
Data, Trained operators for Weld Tensile Test machine, & Laser Weld Tensile Test Machine Operator
CERTIFICATIONS
Engineer in Training, #E-10175, Dec '07
PUBLICATIONS
System Identification of Rotor Pendulum System with Control Application, In Progress
Automated System Identification using Matlab's Instrument Control Toolbox, In Progress
SKILLS
- Computers
Microcontrollers: MBED (ARM), Arduino (Atmel), Maple Leaf (ARM), Gumstix (ARM)
Operating Systems: All Microsoft, OS-X, Robot Operating System (ROS), Ubuntu Linux
Programming: C, C++, Excel Macros, HTML, Java, Machine G-Code, Matlab
Software: ABAQUS, Comsol, Fluent, LaTex, Microsoft Office, Mathcad, Matlab, Pro-E, Solidworks
- Manufacturing
CAD Design (GD&T), Faro-Arm Laser Scanner, Fast Prototyping, Haas 3DOF CNC Mill, Manual
Lathe & Mill, MasterCam, & Mig/Tig Welding
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Aug '07 - Present)
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (June '11 - Present)
AWARDS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
South Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium Fellowship, Graduate Research Stipend ('10 & '11)
ITS Technology Fellow Program Fellowship (Fall '04 - Spring '08)
Author on Best IARC Competition Paper (Summer '08,'10,'11)
Speaker on Best IARC Competition Presentation (Summer '10)
Central Connecticut State University Helicopter Workshop, CT Space Grant sponsored (June '11)
SDSM&T Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team (Aug '07 - Present)
SDSM&T Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team (Consulting Spring '08-Present)
Order of the Engineer (March '08)
Engineers Make Great Entrepreneurs Workshop (Apr '10)
SDSM\&T All Campus Leadership Retreat w/Jonathan Sprinkles, Storm Mountain (Oct '09)
SDSM&T Football Team, Starting Kicker/Cornerback ('04 & '05 seasons)
KEYWORDS
Manufacturing, Design, CAD/CAM, Solidworks, Pro-E, Geometric Dimensioning \& Tolerencing (GD\&T),
Pro-Trac Mill, Sharp Mill, Haas CNC, Rapid Prototyper, Lathe, Numerical Methods, FEA,
Solid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, ANSYS, ABAQUS, Comsol, CFD, Gambit, Fluent, X-Foil, Fluid
Dynamics, Gas Dynamics, Programming, C, C++, Java, LaTeX, Matlab, Control Systems,
Real-Time Control, Embedded Microcontrollers, Mathematical Modeling, Simulation, State
Space, Time Domain, Linear Algebra, Embedded Control, System Identification, Design of
Experiments, Probability / Statistics, Sensor Integration, Robotics, LIDAR, Kinect, IMU,
Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Ultrasonics, IR, WiFi, Bluetooth, I2C, Serial Communication,
Physics, Optics, Electromagnetism (EM), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Helicopter Theory, Aerodynamics, Rotorcraft, Teamwork, Teaming,
Leadership, Effective Communication, Technical Documentation, Microsoft Office, Powerpoint, Excel,
MS Word, MS Project, Linux, OS-X, Team Management
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Contact this candidate