Project Minerva — Weather Ballon/CubeSat platform

(Part of the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association, ERORA)

A multidisciplinary engineering project focused on the design and development of Minerva, a student-led CubeSat system integrating mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems. The project is based in a low stratospheric weather balloon platform, with an interchangeable payload that focuses on recording atmospheric data. Designed and manufactured the Ground Station Receiving Unit (GSRU) and currently serving as the Mechanical Team Lead.

SmallSat Education Conference – Kennedy Space Center. 

Presenting our team’s progress on the Ground Station Receiving Unit (GSRU) and overall mission architecture.

Delivered technical explanations of the GSRU’s mechanical design, integration challenges, and system-level objectives to students, faculty, and industry professionals.

Engaged with attendees and industry mentors to discuss design trade-offs, subsystem interactions, and opportunities for future improvements, earning positive feedback for clarity and professionalism.

SmallSat Conference – Salt Lake City, Utah

Presented a progress poster on Project Minerva at the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, highlighting the platform's launch capabilities and adaptability as a low-cost, reusable testbed for CubeSat payloads. A key focus of the poster was our planned upgrade path from Minerva's current 8U CubeSat platform to a standard 1-3U form factor, a shift aimed at making the platform more directly representative of the CubeSats it's designed to help test. Presenting to industry professionals and other student teams pushed me to defend our design decisions and adaptability roadmap under real scrutiny, and the poster itself went through multiple revision rounds before the conference.

Collaboration with the Estonia Student Satellite Foundation

Through a program with the Estonia Student Satellite Foundation, I traveled to Estonia and toured CrystalSpace, gaining a firsthand look at how a European small satellite manufacturer approaches CubeSat design, integration, and testing. The trip gave me a broader perspective on how student satellite programs and industry connect outside the U.S., and helped me see how our own ERORA projects, like Minerva, compare to programs with different resources, timelines, and design philosophies.