Pierce Heintzelman

Experience

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  Georgia-Pacific LLC

  May 2018 - Aug 2018

  Engineering Intern

  Materials Handling and Automation

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  Georgia Tech Research Institute

  Aug 2018 - Aug 2019

  Mechanical Engineering Co-op

  As a Mechanical Engineering Co-op in the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL) of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, I have been given responsibility over mechanical aspects of optical systems and projects happening in our lab. GTRI is a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) and serves mainly as a pipeline for DOD projects that require engineering and technology capabilities. Over two terms of work, I worked on Bathymetric LIDAR systems called SEAHAWK and BRDL 2, a USAF funded joint laboratory communications system FLRFIM, and various other offshoot projects. While this job took place in a research institute, it involved much more design, prototyping, fabrication, and problem solving than research. This job often required me to come up with innovative solutions to novel problems, and constantly think on my feet. Due to being a mechanical engineer in a lab mainly full of electrical and optical engineers, I was given lots of autonomy and responsibility for mechanical tasks, while also given ample opportunity to explore new concepts in the field of optics and LIDAR. Show less

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  Southwest Research Institute

  May 2020 - Aug 2020

  Mechanical Engineering Intern

  As a Rotating Machinery Intern in the Mechanical Engineering division at Southwest Research Institute, I focused on the testing and mechanical design of energy systems. I conducted a novel bearing test on a rig that included a three-phase electric motor and a pneumatic thruster. I implemented the necessary instrumentation associated with this test included a force transducer, thermocouples, and proximity probes to measure bearing displacement. Additionally, I was tasked with building a pipe design tool using python. This tool took in parameters such as working fluid properties, ambient conditions, and pipe length, pipe geometry, and outputted the optimal pipe size and schedule, hoop stress values, fluid mechanics properties, and costing data. This internship gave me an opportunity to widen my engineering experience by learning about turbomachinery in a highly technical environment. Show less

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  Georgia Institute of Technology

  Jan 2021 - Apr 2023

  Graduate Research Assistant - MiNDS Laboratory

  M.S. Thesis titled "Multi-Scale Modeling of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Composites."https://minds.gatech.edu/

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  ATA Engineering

  Feb 2023 - now

  Aerospace Analysis Engineer