Ezekiel Kuntz

I was a payload mechanical engineer for the University of Alabama in Huntsville's 2026 University Student Launch Initiative senior design team. The team placed first in the overall competition. The USLI is a NASA OSTEM program where teams compete to build a high power rocket that launches a scientific payload to achieve dedicated NASA objectives. This year's competition required teams to launch the vehicle to an altitude between 4,000 and 6,000 ft and deploy a payload to collect a 50mL soil sample and test for either conductivity, pH, or nitrate/nitrite content. The system had to be proven through a series of both subscale test flights and full scale demonstration flights. In addition to these physical requirements, the team had to provide multiple detailed design reviews in the form of 200 page written documentation and professional presentations. These documents demonstrated vehicle and payload criteria, functions, safety, analysis, and testing results and were used as entrance criteria for the final competition flight as well as scored. As a mechanical team member, my role was to design the payload structure and nosecone panel deployment system. Additionally, I served as the primary the machinist and the composite specialist for the project, utilizing CNC and manual machining as well as manual wet layup processes to manufacture components for both the vehicle and payload teams. I also gained experience in mechanical analysis by creating my own strength calculators and through the use of tools such as ANSYS workbench to perform basic finite element analysis on flight critical components. The team used Onshape as the CAD software of choice, which expanded my horizons beyond SolidWorks and into parametric 3d modeling, and used SurfCam as the CAM programmer for CNC machining. Throughout the project, I wrote an estimated 75 pages of documentation, participated in late night documentation reviews, and created detailed mechanical drawings.

As team lead of the University Rover Challenge team ASTRA, I work to coordinate a team of over 40 members to utilize a $40,000 budget to design, build, and operate a Mars simulation rover capable of detecting signs of life, fine object manipulation, extreme terrain traversal, and long-distance autonomous navigation. The rover competes against 100+ other universities internationally, with 32 being selected to move to the final field competition. In my role as Team Lead of this diverse project, I oversee the budget, scope of the project, and project schedule and deadlines. I also ensure that our team members have the support they need, as well as remove blockers that prevent them from making progress on their tasks. This year the team will be working through multiple large-scale efforts to renovate and improve the rover. Some of these include completely rewriting the software of all rover systems, transferring from ROS 1 to ROS 2, as well as redesigning all electrical subsystems to focus on power efficiency, simplicity, and repairability. We also have two main submodule specific redesigns in the works. The first is a redesign of the robotic arm. It will be capable of lifting 5 kilograms up to 5 feet away from the base and will have 6 degrees of freedom in order to maintain manoeuvrability and dexterity. To achieve this, we are utilizing custom designed and manufactured cycloidal gearboxes, paired with a composite structure, to maintain weight and increase power and accuracy. We also will be designing a composite chassis, consisting of custom moulded carbon fiber honeycomb panels, which will decrease our chassis weight while increasing the strength and internal volume of the submodule. This effort will begin later this year, with all design work, tooling, and manufacturing being done by my team.

The Space Hardware Club (SHC) at UAH is the largest Resident Student Organization on campus consisting of over 300 active members, 5 programs, and 14 projects ranging from liquid and solid rocketry, autonomous payload design, CubeSat design, mars simulation rovers, high altitude ballooning, and more. The role of the Vice Presidents of the organization is to handle all internal affairs, organize and run weekly Officer Board meetings, handle conflicts as they arise, and maintain all lab spaces and equipment owned by the SHC. Though my term as Vice President of this organization, I achieved the following: - Helped organize industry partnership events where members from the SHC presented hardware and objectives on their projects to companies such as Beyond Gravity and Dynetics in order to secure funding and material sponsorships to facilitate club growth and capability expansion. - Developed professional conflict resolution skills relating to project development, interpersonal relationship issues, funding issues, and more. - Performed numerous community outreach events and opportunities to educate and excite the Huntsville community about STEM, the SHC, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and others. These events included the Huntsville STEAMFest, the Space and Rocket Center's Observe the Moon Night, and many more. - Assisted in the grant proposal process though the Alabama Space Grant Consortium and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Secured funding for the organization, assisted in discussions to divide the money between projects accordingly, and writing and updating grant request documentation.

As Chief Engineer of New Development I am responsible for integrating all new subsystems of the project, ensuring timelines are met and maintained, creating and verifying documentation, and other responsibilities. I work closely with the Chief Engineer of Sustainment, Project Lead and Deputy Project Lead, and all sub team leads in order to ensure all systems work together and all requirements are met. This year, we are creating a portable central command center that contains two full computer stations, rover control systems, multiple screens for debugging and video transmission, and many other functions. This station will be fully self contained, only requiring 120v power and ethernet in order to be up and running within 5 minutes of notification. We will also be creating a drone from the ground up in order to perform tracking and navigation tasks, and a new biological testing system that will chemically test for signs of life in remotely collected soil samples. The University Rover Challenge will compete at the end of May, 2022.

As an Associate Manufacturing Engineer for Beyond Gravity, I have obtained hands on, real world experience in the aerospace industry working to improve the manufacturing processes of the Payload Fairings for ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan, as well as other large composite structures such as the Interstage Adapter and Heat Sheild of Vulcan, and the Universal Stage Adapter of Nasa's SLS Program. Day to day, I work hands on with technicians, engineers, metrologists, and many other disciplines to manufacture these large structures. Every day, I am hands on with official flight hardware, learning through experience and the knowledge that is passed on to me from the team at Beyond Gravity. My position started as a summer internship but has since transitioned into a Co-Op experience where I work full time in the manufacturing plant for the fall semester. After this position is complete, I will go back to finish my degree in the spring. During the beginning of my position, I worked to automate and streamline the consumable tools process, working to outsource custom tool procurement and stock management in order to alleviate pressure from our team and reduce downtime for missing or out of stock tools. I also have worked to bring additive manufacturing to the manufacturing floor, where I researched and procured a resin-based SLA printer which has allowed us to make both quick fixes to tools and jigs, as well as to make end-use long-term jigs and components that are used to improve the speed and quality of our manufacturing processes. The remainder of my position will be focused on tool and jig design for both the bonding processes as well as the machining processes. Through this work, I am gaining experience in how to design and manufacture structures, the importance of rigidity and accuracy in manufacturing, as well as innovating new ways to manufacture components.

Assist students with various MATLAB and Python programs, grade homework assignments, proctor tests, and answer questions and provide guidance to students for programming challenges.

Led a team of 100+ staff members in keeping the facility running smoothly, cleanly, and safely. Regularly handles staffing conflicts, patron conflicts, safety issues, and pump room and chemical maintenance. Organized large events such as staff parties and private rentals, and created extensive documentation regarding pool operations, how-to guides, and instructions to facilitate smoother facility operations in the future.

Throughout the project I organized and guided the mechanical sub team to produce competition deliverables, create CAD assemblies, integrate the software and electrical systems, and test the systems in order to verify the project requirements. Throughout the program, I was responsible for organizing mechanical team meetings, delegating tasks, maintaining and altering timelines, validating monetary budgets and mass budgets, and assisting in final decisions relating to team operations.

Led a team of 100+ staff members in keeping the facility running smoothly, cleanly, and safely. Regularly handled staffing conflicts, patron conflicts, safety issues, and pump room and chemical maintenance. Organized large events such as staff parties and private rentals