Alex Klein
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Alex Klein

explorer  |  creator  |  engineer

View Resume

Work Experience

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Ball Aerospace
ball.com/aerospace
Facilities Engineering Intern
Boulder, CO  |  Summer 2020 & September 2020 - Present (Part-time)
  • Project manager on several construction projects and facility improvements; winner of intern PM competition
  • Oversaw contractors on chilled water study of manufacturing/assembly complex for Thermal Vacuum Chamber tests
  • 3D scanned 150,000 square feet for Building Information Model; surveyed laboratory space for program security
  • Learned about HVAC & building automation, aerospace industry supply chain, and spacecraft payloads & operations
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University of Minnesota Genomics Center
Design Engineer and Development Team
Remote |  2020 - 2021
  • Worked on team to develop a functional custom robotic uncapping machine for COVID-19 testing automation
  • Designed alternating worm gear mechanism for synchronous uncapping rotation, fabricated with 3D printed components
  • Created adjustable tip spacing pipette matrix for automatic sample conversion between racks; iterated 3 full prototypes
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Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics
Machine Shop Manager
Baltimore, MD  |   2019 - Present
  • Supervisor of machine shop and 3D printer room for students and faculty working in robotics research labs
  • Organize, repair, stock, and manage multiple shared machines, tools, and work spaces
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FreshAir Sensor LLC       
freshairsensor.com                                  
Product Development Team Intern
Lebanon, NH  | 
Summer 2019 & Spring 2020
  • Conducted tests on BLE, Ultrasound, RFID (used MATLAB & Arduino) for indoor positioning system feasibility report
  • Tested temperature and humidity sensors; used Excel and RStudio for data analysis, visualization, and calibration
  • Decreased product manufacturing time by redesigning and assembling a tool to batch measure sensor resistance
  • Evaluated on airflow intake designs to improve device efficiency; researched IOT battery options and safety protocols
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Fidelity Management and Research Company
fidelity.com
Intern on the Software Development Team
Boston, MA  |  Summer 2017
  • Created order tool in Excel VBA to place approximately $30 million in annual Fund of Funds trades
  • Presented work to SVP of Asset Management Technology; utilized by Real Estate Portfolio Manager
View Resume

Education

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Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
  • Mechanical Engineering  |  Space Science Minor
  • GPA: 3.58 | Dean’s List Recipient
  • Engineering Courses: Mechanics-Based Design, MATLAB, Statics, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Electronics, Materials Selection, Fluids, Heat Transfer, Aerospace Materials, Dynamical Systems
  • Mathematics Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability & Statistics, Image Processing
  • Interdisciplinary Courses: Space Science, Sustainable Development, Disaster Risk Mitigation, Geographic Information Systems
  • Teaching Assistant for Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Seminar and Lab for first-year students (2020 – 2021)
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The Rivers School, Weston, MA
  • Graduated June 2018 3.97 / 4.0 GPA with High Honor Roll
  • Cum Laude Society Interdisciplinary Studies Prize, Photography Prize
  • Activities: Model UN Club President, Class Co-President and Student Council, Yearbook Editor, Newspaper Photographer, JV Soccer Captain
Other Education
  • Temple Beth Avodah (2008 - 2018): weekly educational program; Haifa exchange program; Annual “Mitzvah Day” volunteer and coordinator
  • WGBH , Boston, MA, June 2018: Shadowed in studio operations and in editing suites on shows such as Frontline and Greater Boston; learned about various aspects of weekly and live TV production, exposed to processes including color correction, sounds design, and journalism
  • Small Business Ownership and Organizational Skills online Lynda.com courses (2017)

Clubs

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Hopkins SAE Baja Racing
baja.jhu.edu
Controls Team Lead
  • Oversee brakes and steering system design on single-seat off-roading car
  • Manufactured vehicle with team (~250 hours milling, ~20 hours lathe experience)
  • Designed 2020 (17XT) rack & pinion with 33% weight reduction, steering ergonomics, and mounting improvements
  • Designed 2019 (16XT) brakes system with improved packaging of new floor mounted pedals and master cylinders
  • Check out a Competition Video or Build Video!
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JHU Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
sedsjhu.weebly.com
Vice President & Citizen Science Team Lead
  • Analyzed telescopic images to discover 40 main belt asteroids for IASC
  • Experimentally determined 1 AU from Mercury transit
  • Communicate with national organization and university
  • Work with president to coordinate meetings and events
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Johns Hopkins Outdoor Pursuits
Experiential Education
Instructor
  • Top-rope rock climbing instructor
  • Trained in leadership, anchor building, rappelling, rescues, and risk management
  • Lead day trips from campus; led pre-orientation program with 60+ participants
  • Certified Wilderness First Responder
  • Fly-fishing leader, and I also enjoy hiking and skiing!
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Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference
JHUMUNC.org
Dais / Chair
  • Co-authored background report and facilitated debate for two high school committees
  • Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
  • Executive Directorate of Boeing (737-Max crashes)
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 Design & Build


96 Channel Pipette Matrix Spacer
for University of Minnesota Genomics Lab, 2021

Transferring samples from vials in a rack into a well plate is a tedious process for users at the University of Minnesota's Genomics Lab. On a team to automate the entire process, I worked on the channel matrix, which changes the grid spacing of the pipette tips. After three full iterations, the final design utilizes two 1/8" stainless rods in both lateral and longitudinal directions to support 96 resin 3D printed carriages. Pipette tips attach below the carriages and tubing is connected on top to syringes for pressure build up. The rods are supported on both ends by bearing carriages, which ride on square aluminum rails and are spaced by their width (closed configuration) and by limiting straps (open configuration). The device is customizable for the lab users based on the spacing of rack and well plate that is being converted, and each of the approximately 400 individual pieces can be easily serviced or replaced.

Steering Rack and Pinion
for Blue Jay Racing 17XT, 2020

The steering rack and pinion converts the driver's torque on the steering wheel to linear force onto the tie rods to steer Blue Jay Racing's vehicle. After reviewing the past 5 years of the team's rack design, I determined the major previous design failures and recalculated the steering system's loading conditions from experimental strain gauge data. Major changes from previous years include the support tube to eliminate sleeve bearing alignment, 33% weight reduction due to the new bimetallic rack, and an ergonomic 210 degrees lock-to-lock steering angle. Designed and analyzed in Solidworks for desired FOS 2.0 and expected 50-60 hour lifetime.

COVID Testing Vial Uncapping Machine
for University of Minnesota Genomics Lab, 2020

During the Fall 2020 college semester, the University of Minnesota tested each student and on-campus affiliate for COVID-19 on a daily basis, which resulted in approximately 1.5 million tests per month. To automate the process of uncapping the received vials, we created a machine to fit under a fume hood and process 96 samples at a time. I designed and tested numerous 3D printed gripper designs to slide down over the caps, latch underneath a lip, pull the cap off the vial, and dispose of the contaminated object through flexible tubes and down a main chute. Towards the end of the entire fabrication process, the Genomics Lab needed to switch to screw top vials, so I brainstormed an alternating lead screw to unscrew 12 caps at once. After creating a full prototype, I optimzed the final version to reduce friction and be fully sealed from any airborne contaminates.

Mini Crane Boom Design Project
for Mechanics Based Design Laboratory, 2020

Working with two other mechanical engineering students, I worked to calculate loads, determine factors of safety, design the beam and a transmission system, CAD, and select materials for a small crane intended to lift 10 pounds at 18 inches off of a table. Unfortunately, we were unable to construct the final design due to the COVID-19 school closure. Click here to view the assembly drawing and component list of the crane.


Brake System
for Blue Jay Racing 16XT, 2020

As Controls lead of Hopkins Baja, I designed the entire brake system, which includes the pedals, bias bar, master cylinders, brake line, calipers, and rotors. Following the goals of the overall vehicle, some components are off-the-shelf for easier manufacturing and serviceability. I utilized Solidworks to design some components, perform FEAs, and package the parts into the larger car assembly. Click here to view my presentation on the system.
Read More
Goals - The goals of the 16XT brakes are to provide a reliable system to pass brake check, accommodate the additional 4WD components in the footbox, and to improve load verification of the system.

Data Collection - Instead of simply estimating like in previous years, we conducted tests to more accurately define our loading conditions. For example, we experimentally found the coefficient of friction between caliper pad and rotor to be 0.31. With numerous inputs, including a desired factor of safety above 2 for both front and rear brake lines, the system requires 3000lb-in on the 16XT rotors to pass brake check. 

Design - The 16XT pedals are simple and easy to manufacture, floor mounted this year to improve driver visibility and reduce their profile. Rather than last year’s custom calipers and master cylinders, which led to manufacturing and performance failures, we switched to off-the-shelf components. Packaging constraints drove the selection of both the Wilwood MC Karts (0.5in bore), a reliable and small model that Blue Jay Racing has used in the past, and the Polaris Sportsman Calipers. Improving weight reduction over last year’s rotors, a leading spoke cutout design decreased moment of inertia by 4%. Both the rotors and calipers are mounted to axially float into the path of least resistance. 

Analysis - With the collected data and well defined loading conditions, FEAs were conducted on the manufactured pedals and rotors with 100lb applied at the pedal, creating 3000lb-in on the rotors.

Validation - We conducted several brake checks with the system assembled on the car, simulating the competition event. Bleeding the 3AN brake lines to obtain sufficient incompressibility of the DOT3 fluid was a challenge, so we placed pressure gauges on each line to verify when we obtained 750psi in the rear line and 1400psi in the front due the driver pressing on the pedal. With an almost complete brakes testing rig, we can confirm the torque to turn the rotor at certain pressures.

Center Driveshaft
for Blue Jay Racing 16XT, 2020

With a major rules change for the 2020 Baja SAE competitions, the Blue Jay Racing team switched to a 4WD vehicle for the first time in history. I took on the role of designing the car's center driveshaft, which provides power to the front differential from the transfer case. We will splice and extend a Polaris driveshaft, covered in SAE rules compliant casing for both the shaft and joints.

Automated Sensor Resistance Tester
for FreshAir Sensor, 2019

FreshAir Sensor makes patented devices to detect tobacco and marijuana smoke in hotels and apartments. After printing the chemical solution on each plate, the resistance must be tested on all of the manufactured sensors. The device pictured clamps down onto the plate of sensors and contacts them with spring pins. PCB board (which I did not make) connects to an online portal and indicates which sensors are outside of the desired threshold. The device automates the process of testing each sensor with a multi meter to reduce manufacturing and production time.

Backyard Projects
8ft x 10ft Screened in Cabin
2016 (built with father)

8ft x 8ft Treehouse and Rope Ladder
2017

Dam, Waterwheel, & Wooden Gearbox
2018

Papers


Aerospace Fastening: Bolts & Rivets, Welding, and Adhesives (2021)
Whether joining spacecraft structural members together or attaching skin to the wings of an airplane, it is critically important to consider all possible fastening methods available; choosing the wrong one could result in thermal or structural failure. This paper investigates three common types: bolts & rivets, welding, and adhesives within aerospace applications. Bolts are exceptional at connecting structural frame members, rivets are low profile and great for shear lap joints, welding offers a leakproof and mechanically sound joining option, and adhesives are best for hybrid joints and distributing the load over a larger area.

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Material Design for Acoustic Loads of Spacecraft during Launch (2021)
Spacecraft encounters numerous loads, including acoustical ones which emanate from the engines of the vehicle. These cause the material structure to experience acoustic fatigue, which is often difficult to predict. Payload design has been modified using material with increased acoustical absorption and reflection such as composite fibers. Future developments in the field involve using shot peening on oxidation coatings to increase the fatigue life of aerospace aluminums.
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Twisted Ribbon Geometry and Design (2020)
This paper is written for the Antioch Recovery Project, part of the Classics Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University. It serves as a journal surrounding my research into the Twisted Ribbon border pattern of the Antioch Mosaics, a meandering flat ribbon waving across the mosaic in a repeated manner. While there is thought to be no major significance to the pattern itself, it represents “the movement towards ornamental complexity” in the Antioch mosaics, “which was born in the late second century.” This paper will focus on the twisted ribbon that transverses sinusoidally, analyzing the pattern in a geometric, design, and mathematical context.
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Hedonic Price Model of New England Ski Areas (2019)
Using a database of 60 New England ski areas, the correlation between several primary resort characteristics and the 2018-2019 adult day ticket prices is analyzed. A hedonic price model is used to run an OLS regression on the data and determine the importance and significance of 13 variables. This study determines that ski area size (including number of trails, skiable acres, and vertical drop), the snowmaking capabilities of the mountain, the number of nearby restaurants, and the proximity of a ski area to local residents and population centers have the greatest positive influence on ticket price. The hedonic model is also used to form a ranked list of ski areas in New England by their expected ticket price, representing resort quality, and how this compares to their actual ticket price, representing resort value.This study can provide valuable information to ski area management and tourism offices across New England, who can better understand the motivations for alpine skiing customers in the region.
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Trump Twitter Discourse (2019)
Donald Trump, the Republican Candidate in the 2016 United States Presidential election, used Twitter to insult and troll his opponents, particularly Democrat Hillary Clinton. By looking at 230 @realDonaldTrump Tweets which address Clinton during the campaign, this study analyzes Trump’s statements sociolinguistically and statistically, comparing the tweets’ structure and rhetoric between two time periods. Once Clinton became his primary opponent, Trump’s tweets became slightly more multimodal, the number of tweets addressing Clinton decreased, and the average length of these tweets also decreased. However, there was no significant change in Trump’s rhetoric toward Clinton. Further analysis reveals that Trump’s shorter tweets gained more popularity, as well as statements referencing Clinton’s email scandal. These comparisons and linguistic analyses of Trump’s statements provide insight into his communication process and campaign strategy during the election.
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Model United Nations Background Guides
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2019)
Co-author for the background guide of the Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) simulation. COPUOS was set up by the United Nations General Assembly in 1959, with the mission of reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, to study space ­related activities that could be under taken by the United Nations, to encourage space research programs, and to study legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space. The simulation focused on the militarization and commercialization of outer space.
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Executive Directorate of Boeing (2020)
Co-author for the background guide of the Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference Committee simulating the Executive Directorate of The Boeing Company. After crashes of both Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Air Flight 302, delegates focused on fixing MCAS, improving safety checks, and encouraging a transparent design/manufacture process.
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School Projects

Telescope Mirror and Deep Submersible presentations for Materials Selection course, 2020
SolSat: Introduction to Space Science and Technology CubeSat group final project, 2019
Torsion Test, Tension Test: example lab report from Statics class, 2019
Diffraction Lab: example lab report from Physics II, 2019
PIVOT: Engineering for Sustainable Development energy saving technology proposal group project, 2019
Expository Writing: final paper on
Filial Love, Human Morals, and Accepting Death in ​Borne, 2018

Course Topic Summaries

Calculus: A: Table of Contents & Pre-Calculus, B: Derivatives, C: Integrals, D: Series, E: Multivariable Calculus
Biology and Chemistry - Elements, Molecules, Genetics, Reactions, Biotic Systems, Ecology, Moles, and Equilibrium
Linear Algebra - Transformations, Subspaces, Coordinate Systems, Determinants, Diagonalization, and Applications
Differential Equations - Solving and Analyzing 1st, 2nd, and Nth order ODE, Systems of ODE, Non-Linear Functions

Computer Modeling


Flying Ring Optimization
for Design and Analysis of Dynamical Systems Final Project
Spring 2021


We focused on the steadiness of a flying ring in order to maximize the distance it will travel. After researching the governing aerodynamic properties and relationships, we created equations of motions for the flight. Our MATLAB model incorporates the initial and iterated angle of attack of the disk into the distance calculation. We optimized for distance by varying radius and mass of the disk, averaging many throws across initial angle-of-attack angular position and velocity. We found that the radius of the disk does not have a significant effect on the flight and distance is maximized when the disk is 0.5kg.

Click here to view the project report and code.
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Beam Stress and Displacement Analysis
for Extra Credit Mechanics Based Design Class Project
Spring 2020

The goal of the project was to model a beam of any material and shape to calculate the maximum stress and displacement due to any forces or point moments, constrained as a cantilever or by a pin and roller. A partner and I implemented the model in MATLAB using the singularity function method and calculated approximate Von Mises stress.

Click here to view the project report and code.

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HIV Response to Immune Therapy
for Gateway Computing: MATLAB Class Project
Spring 2019

Modeling the uninfected T-cells, infected T-cells, and the infectious virus populations in the body as a set of non-linear ODEs, disease coefficients and initial conditions are analyzed to compare and learn about the effectiveness of a drug.

Links to: Code, Application, Tests

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Data Visualization


GIS / Cartography

Photography

Ever since I was 5, I have always been intrigued by a camera. Always striving for that perfect shot to tell the story in front of the lens. I have found that photography has abilities that humans lack; being able to slow down time or completely freeze it cannot solely be done with human eyes.

Experience Includes:
  • Freelance product and lifestyle photography for 12 clients; have photographed 30+ events
  • Published in 9 newspapers and magazines; work displayed in 3 galleries
  • Assisted local professional photographer on 10 magazine and corporate shoots
  • Provided photographs, through intermediaries, to an additional 15 businesses and corporations
  • Awarded winning and/or finalist status in numerous photography competitions
  • Photographed people such as MA Governor Charlie Baker and Olympic Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin
  • Advanced Skills in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop CC and Final Cut Pro 10
View Full Portfolio

Brand Management and Marketing:
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AK Online Solutions, Founder
Boston, MA  |  May 2015 - November 2018
  • Specialize in bringing all of the best products and features together into one complete online solution
  • Services Include: Web Design, Online Advertisement, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Management, Logo and Brand Design
LiveDry Apparel, Director of Marketing
Wellesley, MA  |  January 2018 - August 2018
  • Online seller of water-resistant, stain-proof, and odor-free apparel
  • Managed and created content for the company website and Instagram to grow presence online
  • Created successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign which raised 174% of initial goal
FlashGear Footwear, LLC, Creative Director
Natick, MA  |  December 2015 - September 2016
  • Provided brand with on-demand lifestyle photos and graphic design for promotional use
  • Conducted over 100 product shots for 3 new line-ups of shoes for website and Amazon
  • Introduced online 360 degree interactive product display and new shoe box design

Contact Me

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Lets chat! Some of my recent adventures include:
  • Summer skiing on a glacier; finding deep power at Taos, NM or Park City, UT
  • Experiencing ‘Totality’ during the 2017 eclipse
  • Photographing the Audi FIS Ski World Cup on course, along with representatives from large news agencies
  • Stargazing on the quiet backroads of Vermont
  • Starting in a basketball game with a 200+ person audience while never having officially played and possessing absolutely no skills
  • Chasing my dog down the beach
  • ‘Thrill Walk’ on a 250ft cliff in Switzerland
  • Making elaborate bear hangs on a camping trip
  • Practicing my Spanish with Colombian locals
  • Flying in a bush plane to remote wilderness in Denali National Park


  • Work
  • Education
  • Clubs
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  • Papers
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