Christian Powell

Experience

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  Yonder Deep

  Jun 2018 - Sept 2019

  Project Director

  - Managed an undergraduate organization of 25 members in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to fully design and 3D print Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to collect data from glaciers at up to 100 m depth- Managed a budget of $16,200, directed team meetings, created and revised project timeline, established culture and diversity- Designed components with SolidWorks and constructed/manufactured parts with 3D printers and machining tools- Troubleshooted, maintained, and printed with a variety of 3D printers and filaments- Managed club relations, designed/managed website, and connected with companies to search for employment opportunities for members Show less

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  POSEIDON WATER LLC

  Jun 2018 - Dec 2018

  Engineering Intern

  - Wrote automation programs between Microsoft Excel and Outlook using VBA that received raw data via email, performed calculations and manipulations to present the data in a meaningful context, and redistributed the reports via email- Interpreted and graphed salinity, turbidity, flow, chemical data- Attended meetings between plant management and plant operation companies, government entities, etc.

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  University of California San Diego

  Jan 2019 - Apr 2019

  Engineering Machine Shop Tutor

  Tutored students how to use lathes, mills, and band saws for Fundamental Principles of Mechanical Design senior design class

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  Scripps Institution of Oceanography

  Jun 2019 - Sept 2021

  - Recruited, interviewed, and managed a team of undergraduate engineers- Designed and manufactured a 9 ft-long wave channel with acrylic sheets, an 80 V stepper motor, and a rack and pinion system for use by various institutions. Actuated by a linear motion system consisting of steel rods, linear bearings, and 3D printed, topographically mass-optimized braces- Created 3D schematics for sea floor two optical and acoustic communications arrays- Generated designs and manufactured various sensor systems, submersible enclosures, and mounts for a Boeing wave glider:- APC: a submersible air particle sensing system utilizing vacuum pumps, various valves, and 3D printed electrical component racks in an enclosure- Bubble Cam: a laser camera that captures oceanic bubbles to determine radiative forcing and aerosol exchange of white caps. Manufactured with 3D printed aluminum and PLA parts in an enclosure.- SITA: a surface tension monitor enclosure. The device was scanned by an infrared camera to generate a CAD model in order to dimension the mounts.- Microcontroller enclosure: manufactured from anodized steel and houses 3 central controllers Show less - Selected and managed a team of undergraduate engineers to carry out multiple research/engineering projects, including an underwater glider and an acoustic and optical underwater communications range- Created mechanical design for a submersible laser camera in SolidWorks to capture oceanic bubbles to determine radiative forcing and aerosol exchange of white caps- Continued processing and analysis of arctic glacial ice data using Python and MATLAB to determine the density of thousands of ice samples Show less - Collaborated with Dr. Grant Deane on an expedition to the Arctic for a month to work over 80 hours per week and perform research concerning glacial melting rate using Python and MATLAB- Engineered a recirculation pump using a small pump, a water bottle, duct tape, and a hose- Co-authored an abstract on glacial melting submitted to the 2019 American Geophysical Union Fall meeting- Sailed to various glaciers to capture blocks of ice, melt them under controlled experiments, and record data Show less

  • Mechanical Design Engineer

    Apr 2021 - Sept 2021

  • Undergraduate Mechanical Design Engineer

    Sept 2019 - Mar 2021

  • Intern

    Jun 2019 - Sept 2019
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  Gordon Engineering Leadership Center UC San Diego

  Sept 2019 - Jun 2020

  Gordon Scholar

  The Gordon Engineering Leadership Center exists to educate and equip engineering leaders to positively impact society. The Gordon Scholars Program is a yearlong program that focuses on three main competencies: 1) leadership, 2) teamwork and cross-cultural collaboration, and 3) critical thinking and problem solving, which are validated by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

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  Rivian

  Jan 2022 - Feb 2023

  - Lead design and sourcing of a plastic extruded structural bed side rail for the R1T with cost saving of $44 million over part lifetime- Created Design Verification Plan (DVP) for testing and bed side rail performance and reliability against requirements

  • Product Research Analyst - Trail Program

    Jan 2023 - Feb 2023

  • Product Manager - Commercial Product Line - Trail Program

    Jul 2022 - Dec 2022

  • Design Release Engineer - Trail Program

    Jan 2022 - Jun 2022
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  EV⚡️PV

  Jun 2023 - Mar 2024

  Engineering Consultant
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  One Stop Systems

  Jan 2024 - now

  Project Manager/Mechanical Engineer