Joseph Aubut, a mechanical engineering sophomore, beams about his work at the Olson Center. "The thing that I enjoy most about the Olson Center is the ability to gain experience so early into my college career; not many people my age can operate a 5-axis CNC milling machine, which I think is very cool!"
Last summer, Joseph was vital in a project for local NH company Rogue Space. Working with the center's program manager, Nathan Daigle, and several interns, the team made camera enclosures and a GUP thermal interface surface for the flight hardware on one of Rogue's in-space Orbots (orbital robots). Rogue calls this particular Orbot Barry-1. Due to a short deadline and the project's complexity, the team members broke off into pairs and tackled the project collaboratively to help Rogue meet their launch date.
For Joseph's part, he worked closely with fellow intern Johnathan Janney on the 5-axis CNC machine, as the highly complex parts required milled features on all sides. Joesph said that the completed project was immensely gratifying. His favorite part of the process was going to the UNH Space Science Center in Morse Hall to clean the completed parts through a series of ultrasonic baths and drying with compressed pure nitrogen. He found it interesting to see other aspects of manufacturing for outer-space applications.
Joseph feels that the Olson Center allows him to solve challenges and find innovative solutions. He is still thinking about where he wants to go in the future but feels confident that mechanical engineering is where he wants to be.
Written by Katelyn Clark '24
Barry-1
