About Me

  • First, sorry if I seem nervous, this position means everything to me
  • 6 co-ops across mech, elec, firmware -> Mostly in mechanical design and integrating electrical components
  • Defense is where I want to work, it would truly change my career. 
  • 6 years of CAD design experience, with knowledge of PTC Creo and know how to conduct FEA to evaluate my designs
  • Since graduating, I joined the UW orbital design team -> where I am leading the design of the solar panel deployment mechanism.
  • Thorough understand of how to apply the engineering lifecycle to new designs, whether that is identifying constraints, conducting experiments, and writing and conducting test procedures. 
  • Never showed that I was unable to provide a working solution -> Shows my passion, reliability and learning capability. -> I didn’t know things
  • I find interviews tough because I work by showing actions, rather than trying to prove my worth through words -> outstanding track record delivering solutions under tight constraints; backed by testimonials
  • I value teamwork. Co-ops -> I developed relationships with coworkers I miss seeing everyday, and hope to do the same at Curtiss Wright.

What Curtiss Wright Does

Curtiss-Wright has a 95-year aerospace lineage, where your DNA is mission-critical engineering in extreme environments.

  • You design and make rugged embedded Mission Computers packaged as Line Replaceable Units, using VPX cards integrated per the OpenVPX system profile

      • These computers host mission applications like sensor fusion, video, maps, AI, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and electronic warfare. These are systems that collect, process, and share sensor data — things like radar, cameras, and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors.
      • They process this data in real time so operators or autonomous systems can make decisions quickly.
      • Systems that detect enemy radar or communications, jam hostile signals, or shield friendly systems from interference.
  • VPX single-board computers like the VPX3-1262 for mission and sensor processing
      • that plug into an OpenVPX backplane.
      • They’re the processing ‘brains’ for ISR/EW/avionics.
  • Rugged Data recorders for flight, ground and naval platforms
      • boxes that ingest live sensor data, like video and radar data to solid state storage with timestamps and encryption. 
  • Rugged network-attached storage systems
      • a shared file server on the platform where other systems pull from and write to it over Ethernet
  • Tying these products into my role would be -> design the rugged VPX chassis’, qualified for shock, vibration, and temperature extremes BY: 
      • building conduction/baseplate cooling paths like heat spreaders and thermal interface materials, because airflow is limited and passive paths maximize reliability
      • Tune the shock and vibration response of the chassis with modal targets, stiff card guides, and sufficient fasteners so the LRU survives MIL-STD-810 profiles. 
      • Account for environmental conditions, implementing materials with similar coefficients of thermal expansion, sealed gaskets, and conformal coating to keep electronics within limits across hot/cold, humidity, sand/dust

 

 

 

  • Mission Computer Models:
                    •  MPMC-932x (3U, 2-slot): compact OpenVPX mission computer LRU. 
                    • MPMC-935x (3U, 5-slot): scalable OpenVPX mission computer; forced-air or baseplate/cooled variants.
                    • MPMC-9365 (3U, 6-slot): larger payload count for harsher environments.
                    • You’ll see VPX3-1260 Intel Xeon, GPUs, FPGAs and Ethernet Switches implemented

Why I want to work here and for this position

  • I’ll have the opportunity to apply my engineering expertise to an industry that gives me purpose, knowing I will be involved with technologies that are critical to the lives of those who protect our country and way of life, not just routine parts
  • The role combines mechanical design, thermal/structural analysis, failure investigation and materials science, which aligns exceptionally well with my academic strengths and my engineering ambitions.
  • I’ll be working in a multi-disciplinary, highly technical environment, collaborating with electronics, manufacturing, and test engineers. In past roles I often had to handle those disciplines myself — as a mechatronics engineer I’ve integrated mechanical, electrical, and control systems end-to-end — so I already understand how each function thinks and can communicate effectively across disciplines to keep designs practical, testable, and manufacturable.
  • It’s an onsite role which fosters strong teaming, direct engagement with prototypes, testing labs, and hands-on design validation, exactly what I have learned what gets me out of bed in the morning. 
  • Ultimately want a position that I can excel in from the beginning while advancing my skills long term, I’ll be investing in a career path, not just a job.
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