Hi, I'm Walter Kimball

I am a college student from the great state of Maine and a graduate of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and Oxford Hills Tech School Class of 2023. I am currently completing my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Engineering as a part of the Class of 2027.

My Story

Growing up in the low-income, rural foothills of Maine, opportunities for careers beyond the trades were limited. Throughout much of my childhood, I was drawn to building in all forms—whether through woodworking and carpentry or by dismantling old radios and clocks I found at our town dump. At a young age, my grandmother introduced me to engineering, a field that has long been a staple in her family. I learned about my great-great-grandfather’s contributions to the New York City skyline, from the Empire State Building to the Times Building, as well as the tools and designs he used. Throughout my early life, I relied heavily on intuition for the design and construction of my creations, but discovering engineering allowed me to apply math and science to my projects to refine that intuition.

Once I reached middle and high school, I expanded my knowledge with the help of teachers and clubs, where I explored the world of design and calculated manufacturing. During my second year of high school, I joined my school’s technical program and took my first formal engineering courses. While enrolled, I learned professional engineering practices and explored various sub-disciplines, allowing me to focus my interests through projects such as an aquaponics system and complex engineering calculations. I also applied my skills outside the classroom by designing parts for my car and my family’s business, which solidified my interest in the field. It was during this time that I chose mechanical engineering as my intended area of study, as it aligned with both my natural strengths and my interests in automotive and aerospace engineering.

After joining NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, my skills continued to develop as I fully committed my education to mechanical engineering. This was also where I began my journey with NYU Motorsports and gained professional experience in automotive engineering. I initially worked on the drivetrain sub-team for the Baja SAE division, focusing on the design and manufacturing of mounts, shrouds, and couplers, primarily using static finite element analysis. I now serve as the Drivetrain Lead as well as the Design Lead for the Baja SAE team. In these roles, I oversee the complete design direction of the drivetrain for our Baja car and guide the team in a project management capacity to ensure we meet deadlines and pass inspections in accordance with SAE standards.

My personal interests range through many different facets, from art and science to simply being outdoors. I love exploring new places that are off the beaten path, whether I am finding "mom and pop" shops in different cities or hiking through the wilderness. Growing up with no internet and living many miles from the nearest town, the outdoors was my world to conquer. Today, I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, boating, and off-roading. While I have not had the chance to travel extensively yet, I jump at every opportunity to see new places.

I am fascinated by all things mechanical, especially trains, planes, boats, and cars. I have invested countless hours into my "Facebook Marketplace finds" and take specific pride in my C4 Corvette and Chevy square-body pickup. I have applied much of what I’ve learned in engineering to these vehicles, from frame improvements to driving performance. I also enjoy researching different areas of science, such as energy, physics, and even botany; I love learning new things regardless of their immediate utility, and this curiosity drives me to expand my skill set every day. Furthermore, I enjoy the arts through craftsmanship in woodworking and music. One of my favorite hobbies is drawing, which even allowed me to illustrate a children's book I wrote in high school titled Alphie the Amphicar. Above all, I love spending time with my friends and sharing my interests and adventures with them at every chance I get.

Skills

I have gained many skills in both professional and educational settings that have provided me with the opportunities I have today, and there are many more I wish to acquire. I am currently working on gaining proficiency in welding, CAM, and KISSsoft design software. These skills will further contribute to my experience as an engineer and provide me with technical knowledge that I can apply to my personal endeavors as well.

Machining:

Manual Leath
Manual Mill
CNC Mill
Rotary Table
Lazer Cutter
3D Printing

Tool Skills:

Angle and Die Grinding
Tube Notching
Soldering
Plaining
Drafting and Layout Work

Personal:

Drawing
Music
Climbing
Archary

Softwear:

3D Modeling Software
- SolidWorks with PDM
- Inventor with Vault
- Fuison 360
2D Drawing/Modeling Software
- AutoCAD
- Adobe Photoshop
Analysis
- Ansys
- SolidWorks Simulation
Programing
- Python
- MatLab
- Arduino
Mangagment
- Epicor ERP
- SmartSheets
- Microsoft Office
Videography
- Capcut

Education

NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Brooklyn, New York

Class of 2027, completing my undergraduate B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Engineering.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School

South Paris, Maine

Class of 2023 taking AP courses in Math, History, Literature, and Science. Graduated 8th in the class with a High School diploma.

Oxford Hills Technical School

South Paris, Maine

Completed 7 credits of Pre-Engineering.

Recognisitions

NYU Tandon's Dean's List 2023 - 2025

Awards

2022 OHTS Engineering Tech Challenge Gold
2022 Pre-Engineering Student of the Year
2021 Engineering Excellence Award
4th 2022-2023 Maine Pi-Cone North Math League

Event Participant

Columbia CE2 Engineering Experience
2023 Skills USA Competitor

Certifications

2020 OSHA 10 Certification

Notable Achievements

Experience

NYU Motorsports

Brooklyn, New York
2023 - Present

NYU Motorsports is a VIP (Vertically Integrated Project) that is offered at NYU for students to actively work on a race team who compeate in both Baja SAE and FSAE Electric and all the things that come with it. In NYU Motorsports, I have climbed the ladder from being a freshman design engineer on the drivetrain subteam for the Baja division to becoming the Design Director for the entire Baja division, in addition to earning the role of Design Lead for the aforementioned drivetrain subteam. This required an extreme amount of time and dedication to the team, as well as gaining proficiency in a variety of skills and practices—not only to design a sound Baja SAE racer but also to lead a team of engineers efficiently and productively.

In my early years as a design engineer on the Baja drivetrain subteam, I worked under two design leads: Jamie Tian and Mubeen Zainul. I was assigned tasks such as designing shrouds for rotary parts and mounts for various drivetrain components. These designs had to comply with Baja regulations for materials and design while remaining strong enough to provide the necessary safety and rigidity. As a new engineer, this was my primary introduction to the world of simulation in both SolidWorks and Ansys. I created many different parts during this time, including a CVT case as a powertrain guard and an engine mount designed to secure the engine to the frame while minimizing vibration. I also assisted other subteams as needed, making frame alterations and helping the suspension and steering teams with their mounts and fixtures.

Mubeen was my mentor and one of the most influential members of NYU Motorsports; I learned a great deal from him. I was taught design procedures for components like gearbox cases and learned how to use machinery such as a lathe and welding equipment. When Mubeen graduated, the team appointed me as the new Drivetrain Lead. In this role, I assign design tasks to members based on their skill levels and train younger members to handle more complex assignments. Under my leadership, we are implementing an eCVT and overhauling the gearbox to reduce weight and increase efficiency. These two implementations will be groundbreaking for NYU Motorsports, marking the first time a fully new gearbox has been designed by the team. An eCVT is a highly effective improvement for any Baja SAE racer to achieve maximum output. This project has required me to acquire new software skills, such as using KISSsoft for gear design and operating a dyno to test our output.

Upon graduating, Mubeen also left the Design Director role open, and the team voted for both Kamil Gozalov and me to fill the position. The team operates on a two-year alternating cycle for building a new Baja car, offset with the NYU FSAE Electric team. This means I will serve as the Design Director for the entirety of the 27-28 car’s lifespan and will act as the project manager for its development. This role requires a comprehensive understanding of all facets of the Baja car—from brakes to suspension—so that I can provide informed advice and direction when leads and members have design questions. I also manage timelines to ensure the team stays on track for design presentations with professors and at competitions. Additionally, I collaborate with other administrators to maintain team health; this includes working with the business team to secure beneficial sponsors and the manufacturing team to ensure members are well-trained and have experience directly related to Baja. The next-generation 27-28 car will be a significant improvement, as we are reworking the frame to accommodate new drivetrain components and addressing the shortcomings of the previous 25-26 car.

All in all, I have gained extensive insight into automotive design through my work at NYU Motorsports. I have begun applying the calculation work from my automotive engineering coursework to the direction I am guiding the Baja team. I hope to finish my time at NYU Motorsports with a top-20 finish at a Baja SAE competition, which would be the highest our team has placed by a large margin.

Bridgton, Maine
Summer 2024

Howell Laboratories

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During my summer internship at Howell Labs, I worked firsthand in an entirely in-house manufacturing engineering company, which was a new and valuable experience for me. This was a full-time position for a company that handles significant government contracting for the U.S. Navy as well as water treatment facilities. I worked in a variety of capacities as a mechanical engineering intern, collaborating closely with engineers on current projects and tackling their backlog.

During my summer at Howell Labs, the engineers were redesigning their 7600 Seawater Chlorinator, which relied on components that were becoming obsolete. While I observed much of their engineering effort in simulations, design flow, and shock testing plans, my main contribution was engineering drawings. I produced over fifty drawings for the new 7600, complete with necessary specifications and manufacturing notes. I also saw how the manufacturing floor reviewed these drawings and designs, providing input on the assembly process. Once all drawings were completed, I worked with the Epicor ERP system for workflow management, learning how an engineering company documents and logs projects for efficient manufacturing. The contributions made by my fellow intern and me saved the company a month of project time and even led to Howell Labs hiring a full-time drafting employee to take over once our internship was completed.

I also addressed a large backlog of Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) for the engineering department. These tasks ranged from simple drawing updates with different callouts to complex warehouse visits to update physical parts and smart part numbers for new components. This was a highly impactful contribution; although these changes were not a high priority at the time, they would have led to critical confusion in upcoming projects had they not been addressed. I gained a lot from these ECRs since many required me to coordinate with the manufacturing floor, where I saw firsthand how complex manufacturing processes can be. I also learned a great deal about optimizing floor workflow through Autodesk Vault.

One of my other major contributions was the complete modeling of the 4870 Air Control Panel in Autodesk Inventor. This was a significant undertaking, as the reference drawings were poorly scanned hand drawings from decades ago. Additionally, since the air control panel had been in production for so many years, the manufacturing floor had developed undocumented techniques to aid in assembly. This effort took most of the summer; once completed, I created a new final assembly drawing for the team as they anticipated producing more units following vibration testing. This project utilized nearly every tool in Inventor and made me highly efficient in CAD modeling. I also observed manufacturing processes that were new to me, including brazing and powder coating. With all parts modeled and a full assembly created, Howell Labs can now present the model to potential customers and easily generate digital drawings in the future.

I learned a great deal at Howell Labs—especially so early in my engineering degree—about how in-house firms operate and the importance of communication between the customer, manufacturer, and designer. While I was unable to join the engineers on testing trips during my tenure, my supervisor, Joel Parent, explained in depth what they test, how they test it, and why they test for factors like vibration and shock. I have been able to take what I learned and implement it not only into my engineering skills but also into my work and leadership methods at NYU Motorsports