Kaylee La Spisa

Experience

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  FDNY Fireboat Firefighter

  Mar 2014 - Aug 2017

  Tour Guide & Restoration Volunteer

  Volunteered on board a 600 ton 1938 built NYC Fireboat in Greenport, NY as a tour guide and restoration assistant. Each tour included 3-15 people on an hour-long historical and physical exploration of a ship with significant historical connections in marine architecture, the FDNY and major NYC events. Restoration on board included paint stripping, brass fixture cleanup, re-painting, general cleanup, artifact curation, merchandise sales and engine room maintenance.

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  Mastic Moriches Shirley Community Library

  Jun 2015 - Jun 2015

  Kids Coding & Robotics Mentor

  Aided elementary and middle school students in a summer program utilizing LEGO Mindstorm robotics and Javascript in participating in STEM outreach activities.

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  Fine Line Routing: Custom CNC Routing & Wholesale Sign Fabrication

  Jun 2016 - Aug 2018

  Machine Shop Assistant & Operator

  Worked in a machine/fabrication shop setting to program, set up, and cut requested files on three 5x10' 3-Axis CNC Routers. Assisted in manufacturing of FLR Billet specialty items and fabricated requested LED channel letters while performing routine shop maintenance. Worked in FLR’s subsidiary classic car restoration service in maintenance and repair.

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  FIRST

  Jan 2018 - Mar 2020

  During a six-week build timeline, and a multi-month competition timeline I am responsible for:-Working with various teams of students to design, fully CAD and run FEA simulations for a 120lb multi-functional robot.-Teaching and supporting students in the use of various hand tools, and machine tools to fabricate robot parts to specifications.-Working with students and other mentors to troubleshoot and test various robot actions such as automated driving functions, game piece orientation, operator ergonomics as well as a 15 second fully autonomous period. -Work with other mentors and the student business group to establish a Bill of Materials, and order parts on a 5,000$ budget and a six week timeline.-Support student team of pit crew, operators and scouting teams during rigorous state-wide and international competitions. Show less

  • FRC Robotics Mentor

    Jan 2020 - Mar 2020

  • Robotics Mentor

    Jun 2017 - Mar 2020

  • Robotics Mentor

    Jan 2018 - May 2018
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  Rensselaer Student Auto Shop

  Sept 2018 - Jan 2020

  Part-time Auto Shop Manager

  Part-time volunteer shop manager at RPI RSAS, the student DYI auto repair shop. Students and faculty bring in their vehicles for diagnostics, troubleshooting, and repair in our four bay shop. Although our goal is to aid the RPI community in automotive repair, we also strive to teach each owner how to maintain the car themselves and how to diagnose issues. The shop doubles as a hands-on learning center whereas we provide the means and they provide the motivation to learn about mechanical systems.

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  Rensselaer Rocket Society

  Sept 2018 - Mar 2020

  Rensselaer Rocket Society Battle of the Rockets (BOTR) Autonomous Rover Payload Project Lead. Worked on a competitive rocketry team competing in the BOTR (Battle of the Rockets) college rocketry competition. The project comprised of the design, fabrication, testing, competition, and documentation of a large high power rocket airframe with a semi-autonomous deployable rover payload. The rover subsystem project was challenging with tight geometric constraints, high mechatronic integration, electronic controls and high-stress loads. My role as lead project engineer was to organize the highly varied skill sets of our multi-disciplinary team and to provide CAD support services for the design, fabrication and troubleshooting phases of the project progression. Show less

  • Student Project Engineer

    Sept 2019 - Mar 2020

  • Secretary

    Jan 2019 - Mar 2020

  • Student Engineering Payload Lead

    Sept 2018 - May 2019
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  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Jan 2019 - May 2021

  Working as a teaching assistant in RPI's teaching machine shop, supporting students in various course projects. Aided students with questions/techniques involving engine lathes, vertical mills, horizontal mills, drill presses & band saws. Supervised for safety protocol adherence and graded final tests & projects. Operated the non-metallic fabrication lab: thermoplastic welding, glass cutting, C02 laser cutting, CNC operation overview, cold working overview, and thermoforming. Supported & graded students enrolled in RPI's ENGR 1200 Computer-Aided Design Course. Students were supported in learning Siemens' modeling software NX-12.

  • ENGR 1300 Engineering Processes Teaching Assistant

    Jan 2019 - May 2021

  • ENGR 1200 CAD Teaching Assistant

    Jan 2019 - Dec 2019
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  Environment One Corporation

  Jan 2020 - Jul 2020

  Mechanical Engineering Co-op

  Working in the engineering department of E/One performing ECN services, product design, database updating, 3D modeling, & drafting. Exposure to quality management, industrial production, part & assembly procurement and inventory as well as part manufacturing processes.At E/One, I was responsible for:-Releasing ECNs (Engineering Change Notices) for the SSB and (due to Covid-19) and USB departments (Sewer systems and power plant monitoring respectfully) and entering pricing/item type/BOM/other details into Mapics (Infor XA).-Updating Mapics data on occasion for other departments (Country of Origin info typically).-Product Design, working on prototypes and design changes to improve E/One product line quality and functionality.-Implementing redline drafting changes in Solidworks from senior engineers.-Redrafting & remodeling in Solidworks in order to update older sections of the E/One product database.-Inspecting inbound parts/assemblies for defects for the USB department.-Providing my supervisors presentations & lists of not only my experience progress, but of technical & soft areas of interests to learn.-Attending webinars & conferences relevant to E/One product lines and Solidworks. Show less

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  Pickle Barrel

  Sept 2020 - Jan 2021

  Retail Associate

  Retail sandwich shop in Livingston, MT. Responsible for taking orders, cashing out customers, stocking, working in a fast-paced team environment to put orders together with precision.

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  Thule Group

  Jul 2021 - Jan 2022

  Fit Engineering Co-op

  - Developed Thule automotive roof rack kits in the fit engineering department- Developed four roof rack kits for 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalade, 2015-2019 Ford Explorer, 2014- Acura MDX and the 2021- Kia Sportage. - Aided in obtaining 3D Artec Leo scans to bring into Solidworks.- Assisted in generating renders for the Marketing department- Worked on continuing to update the CAD database to the updated YaPDM & Infor MA ERP systems.- Updated older CAD models with product change orders. - Created new 3D models from blueprints from new vendors to be input into YaPDM. - Worked with an international team of engineers- Assisted the Quality department in setting up physical testing rigs. Show less

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  Varsity Tutors, a Nerdy Company

  Sept 2022 - Feb 2023

  Tutor

  Physics, CAD, and mechanical engineering tutoring online during full-time graduate coursework at Purdue University.

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  Matco Tools, A Vontier Company

  Feb 2023 - now

  Design Engineer II