Our team of six UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineers is partnered with leading drone company DJI to create a tethering system that will provide power for unlimited hover to their flagship drone, the M100.

Grace Alexander

I am a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. After I graduate I will be working at Chevron as a design engineer, though I hope to return to school at some point in the future to continue my education by studying fluid mechanics, or more specifically biofluid mechanics. My interest in fluid mechanics is also what drove me to choose the shock dyno because it offers an opportunity to connect the theories learned in class to a physical system.

Personally, I enjoy most activities outdoors or sports related. As a freshman, I actually had a contract as a professional cyclist, though I soon learned that balancing academics and a professional level training regimen is quite difficult. I still enjoy a quality Sunday bike ride from time to time, and I also love running, hiking, skiing, and playing IM soccer.

This project interested me because drone technology is becoming increasingly relevant in our society and offers many opportunities for application in various industries. DJI in particular is active in innovating in the drone industry, so I appreciate the opportunity to work with DJI. Personally, I also appreciate the chance to improve my electrical engineering skills through this project.

Christy Jarman

I am a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal that will graduate in May. I am excited to be continuing my education at UC Berkeley in the 5th year Master’s program with a focus in design. Upon graduation in 2017, I hope to work in product design or manufacturing in San Diego or the Bay Area.

In my spare time, I play ultimate frisbee for the Women’s Club Team, mentor Berkeley youth through BEAM (Berkeley Engineers and Mentors) and volunteer as a counselor for Camp Kesem. I also enjoy playing sand volleyball, Spikeball or any other sport on the weekends. I love spending time outdoors, hiking, scuba diving, and traveling around the world.

The drone project sponsored by DJI interested me because it is an opportunity to learn more about electronics and work outside of my comfort zone in mechanical engineering. As one of my final projects of my undergraduate degree, I appreciate the option to branch out and continue to develop my skills. Since a young age, I have always enjoyed playing with RC cars and helicopters and I appreciate being able to work with them on a larger scale. One of my major goals in engineering is to design products that can help improve public safety and I think that there are numerous opportunities for a tethered drone to help in disaster situations.

Alexander Max

Like the rest of my group, I am a senior at Cal studying Mechanical Engineering and will graduate this May. During my time at Cal I have been interested in controls as well as design. After graduation, I will be working in the medical device industry and would like to return to school to get my Masters degree.

Outside of school, I play Ultimate Frisbee. I ran track in High School and wanted to be part of a team sport in college so I decided to do ultimate and I have been hooked ever since. Currently, I play for Cal’s team (UGMO) and the SF Dogfish (Major League Ultimate) and plan to continue playing at the Pro and Club level after college.

This project is interesting to me because in middle and high school I was very interested in RC Cars and Planes. Now I have a renewed interest in drones and hope our project can increase the functions of them in many industries.

Alex Miller

I am a senior at Cal studying Mechanical Engineering like everyone else in the group.  At the moment I am still trying to figure out plans after graduation but I am exploring the possibility of going to Australia to obtain a masters degree.  Eventually I want to end up in the Bay Area or Brooklyn hopefully doing Product Design or something Biomedical.

In my spare time I play a large amount of soccer as I am a part of 3 Intramural teams this semester.  I also spend a large amount of my time rock climbing, mostly bouldering.  I currently work in a research lab for Dr. Rubinsky and we are working on experiments for isochoric cryopreservation.  I’m really looking forward to seeing where the project takes us.

The DJI project excites me as it allowed me to get more electrical experience before leaving college.  I’ve always loved design and building prototypes but I thought this was a great opportunity to try something else and see how it goes.  Working on supplying power for the drone has been a challenging, but fun task.  The project has definitely sparked my interest in drones and quadcopters.

Kelly Morrison

I am a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley and will graduate this August. I am currently looking into career opportunities in the commercial aerospace and automotive industries. I would also like to earn an MBA after gaining a few years of industry experience.

I am a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Berkeley, and SAE Aero Design at UC Berkeley. As Marketing Director of ASME for the past year, myself and the rest of the officer board have hosted many successful info sessions and events, including our first annual Aerospace Design Competition.
My experience as a summer intern in the electrical and aerospace engineering industries has enabled me to approach this project in a more project-oriented way and with an emphasis on safety. Conversely, this project has given me extremely valuable hands-on experience with designing and building engineering mechanisms.

Justin Wang

I am a senior at Cal studying Mechanical Engineering and will graduate this May. After graduating, I plan on working in Product Design or Manufacturing in the Bay Area. Currently I have interests in going to graduate school for an MBA after a couple years in industry.

When not in class, I can be found at the Berkeley Formula Racing garage. BFR is UC Berkeley’s Formula SAE team which designs and builds a small racecar every year and competes with other FSAE teams around the world. At BFR, I am a Senior Engine Team member and a Competition Driver for 2016.

I have some experience in remote controlled cars and helicopters but before this semester, I had never piloted a drone. Since the start of the project, my interest in drones and quadcopters has exponentially increased. I hope to get into FPV racing at the end of the semester.