Alan Kruppa, PE

I lead system integration and design efforts for both fuel cell and lithium-ion power systems. In the fuel cell space, I directed the integration of Nuvera engines into 2–3 ton forklifts; developed an energy-based center-of-gravity enveloping approach in Siemens NX for a trailerable power system; planned and released a major upgrade to the stack management system in MATLAB/Simulink with Stateflow; architected a Python/Deephaven data processing engine to analyze terabytes of CAN data; validated engine durability improvements through automated load bank testing in ROS and C; and designed UL-compliant noise reduction features for an air intake. In the lithium-ion battery space, I design modular frames, harnesses, and mounting and retention hardware for high-voltage systems, ensuring compliance with UL standards. Across both domains, I manage cross-functional design packages for remote teams and author extensive analysis and scripting code, leveraging Microsoft Copilot to automate common tasks. I have made key design and compliance decisions affecting software, power electronics, and trailer rollover stability. Alongside the tools above, this work requires extensive use of Agile PDM, CANalyzer, Microsoft Office, and 3D printing.

I architected turnkey subsystems, designing machinery, weldments, and plant piping for battery separator manufacturing lines. I developed and released process and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), tanks, frame weldments, and large-scale ducting and piping assemblies for systems including the Coating Line Mixing System, the Carbon Black Slurry System, and the Trim System. I reviewed vendor specifications and quotes, selected pumps and material handling equipment, and prepared bills of materials. I independently designed, analyzed, and released 10+ large weldments, 10+ piping/ducting assemblies, and numerous CAD subsystems, integrating them into master assemblies of over 100,000 parts in Autodesk Inventor. This work required regular collaboration with teams in Indonesia and Nevada and expert-level proficiency in Inventor and Microsoft AX for PDM/ERP. I made key design and procurement decisions on pumps, tanks, piping, vendor components, and factory routings, ensuring adherence to in-house and industry standards. I additionally maintained our R stamp certification from the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, enabling compliant, in-house pressure vessel repairs.

Radboat is a startup developing supercavitating sailboats for open-ocean racing based on the patented Aeroballast balancing system (US Pat. No. 7,568,442). I developed a high-level framework for calculating and comparing the key performance parameter—boat speed to wind speed ratio—of Aeroballast against competing sailboat designs, then progressed to optimizing weight budgets, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic drag, and wingsail and foil sizing. For the Generation 1 Research Model, I designed hull, superstructure, and wingsail geometries in Autodesk Inventor, shaping the outer mold lines of the wingsail and molded lines of the hulls using a combination of parametric lofts and freeform surfaces. I prototyped custom gearing, mechanical interfaces, electronics enclosures, and tooling; 3D printed hundreds of parts; CNC milled dozens of parts; and programmed commercial autopilot systems. For the Generation 2 Research Model, I conceived and evaluated hundreds of concepts for an improved configuration based on lessons learned from Generation 1, focusing on lightweight, maintenance-free interfaces and actuation mechanisms, and performed trade-off analyses of competing structural designs. This work continues with preliminary designs of preferred alternatives for Generation 2, development of control algorithms for stable sailing across the platform’s full operational envelope, and creation of custom Arduino microcontroller solutions for the autopilot and sensors.

I designed digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and test equipment for classified projects involving satellite communications. I selected circuit board components; developed custom graphical user interfaces for signal decoding; wrote object-oriented code in MATLAB for modulation/demodulation, detection, coding/decoding, and cross-ambiguity function (CAF) processing; wrote assembly code for tunable RF integrated circuits; wrote Python code for software-defined radios (SDRs); and wrote VHDL for programmable logic devices.

I designed concepts, wrote proposals, created and analyzed large simulation data sets, and prototyped applications. Notable projects included a mobile offshore wind turbine concept designed in SOLIDWORKS for a DARPA proposal, radio coverage maps for Google Earth created from raw data using a combination of scripting languages (e.g., MATLAB, Bash), a Ruby on Rails configuration management application for aircraft weight and balance and three-phase electrical loads balancing, and an annotation and rating scheme for aggregating degradation indicators in visual inspection photographs of aircraft wiring into quantitative indicators of wiring system health.

I served aboard an aircraft carrier, negotiating cargo and personnel flight priorities with each of the four senior commanders. I received an Honorable Discharge as part of a force reduction.

Research into the flight testing of lifting bodies used for atmospheric reentry

Awarded a graduate education scholarship to begin a Masters program during Spring semester of Senior year