Dylan Childers
Mechanical Engineering
Dylan Childers is a fifth-year engineering student at the University of Florida. He will graduate in the fall of 2022 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He gained industry experience through his internships at Volvo Group and HiViz LEDs. At Volvo group, Dylan was a Powertrain Engineering Intern who researched state-of-the-art hydrogen combustion and fuel cell electric technologies to advance the development of renewable energy powered class 7-8 heavy duty trucks. At HiViz LEDs Dylan was a Mechanical Engineering Intern who designed and prototyped a revolutionary solid state 360-degree pneumatic light tower that reduced the number of moving components compared to similar products and increased the projected lifespan three-fold. Dylan also has experience running his own robotics company. As CEO of Magellan Robotics, he developed curriculum and taught more than 60 middle school students annually a wide range of skills including basic design principles, programming techniques, use of PID controllers, servo control, gearing, and hydraulics.
He exercised his role as a leader through campus involvement, especially as a Sigma Chi Fraternity Executive Committee Member, where he was responsible for holding weekly meetings and keeping the house within regulations. He was also involved on campus through an organization called Project Makeover for four years and as a captain of construction for two. Throughout his time as captain, he oversaw the organization, effectiveness, and feasibility of multiple school renovations. He led his group to prototype and improve project designs to be structurally sound, fault tolerant, and optimized for rapid assembly by staff members.
In Dylan’s free time he enjoys building high performance two stroke engines for stand-up jet skis and woodworking.
Chase Fagen
Electrical Engineering
Hello everyone! My name is Chase Fagen and I am a fourth year electrical engineering student also pursuing a mathematics minor. Ever since my freshman year, I have been researching a variety of electro-optic device architectures based on surface plasmon polaritons. Currently, my research team is working to develop a modulator and switch based on surface plasmons to increase data transmission speeds on a smaller scale. In the summer of 2021, I had the privilege of interning with Texas Instruments as an applications engineer on the High Speed Data converter team. The experience was amazing, and I learned so much about the semiconductor industry. Throughout my time at UF I have received a variety of awards. For my research endeavors, I joined the University Scholars program which helped support my research. I was a recipient of the Robert Long prize in 2019 and 2020 for my mathematical essays written on the history and philosophy of mathematics.
Finally in the Fall of 2020, I received the Gerald and Elaine L. Gibson Scholarship in Engineering through the undergraduate ECE department. Outside of the classroom I am a competitive foil fencer and an avid acoustic guitar player. I also enjoy playing poker, supporting Tampa Bay sports teams, learning about cryptocurrency.
Mariana Gonzalez
Mechanical Engineering
Gonzalez, from South Florida, joined the University of Florida in 2018. She had brief experience working with SWAMP group, where she learned how to use a focused ion beam (FIB). After, Gonzalez, partook in an internship with Florida Crystals Corporation. There she learned about safety procedures, the sugar separation process, project turn-over packages, and project planning. Gonzalez is now excited to partake in the IPPD program since its a marriage between industry and academic learning. Moreover, she is stoked to be working with such an awesome team, Addtronics.
Ezra Lee
Computer Science
Ezra Lee is currently in his 4th year of study at the University of Florida majoring in Computer Science. In May 2022, he will graduate from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida with a minor in Mathematics. Ezra is a member of various professional and student organizations including the University of Florida Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery, Association of Computer Engineers, and the Software Engineering Club.
During the past summer, Ezra worked with a small team to build a full stack web application from scratch for a local food delivery business utilizing Django and Bootstrap, the website of which has recently been officially deployed for public use after the first round of development. He also developed a web application for the University of Florida neurosurgery department using the MERN stack, as well as a project involving machine learning and convolutional neural networks. These projects have provided him with valuable experience and insight into the programming languages and frameworks that industries use to build their web and mobile application products for clients. In the short term, he looks forward to beginning work as a software engineer for a company to gain industry knowledge and build up practical professional experience.
Ezra has also served as a mentor for incoming engineering freshmen students through the STEPUP program at the University of Florida. Apart from studying and participating in engineering activities, Ezra focuses on balancing academics with a healthy, active lifestyle. He is actively involved in the University of Florida fencing club, playing recreational volleyball, and heavy weightlifting at the gym.
Anthony Lleonart
Electrical Engineering
Anthony Lleonart is completing the final year of his studies at the University of Florida as an Electrical Engineering major. In November 2019, he was formally inducted into the Florida Alpha chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the esteemed engineering honor society. He also has served extensively as an officer in the University of Florida chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, a freshman academic honor society. Serving as Induction Chair during the 2018 – 2019 academic year, Anthony hosted an informational session on behalf of the Phi Eta Sigma chapter for prospective members and coordinated the chapter’s 2019 induction ceremony. He currently serves as the Vice President of External Affairs of the chapter.
During his time at the University of Florida, Anthony honed his skills in Digital Design. In one of his courses, he designed a MIPS-like microprocessor that could execute many complex instructions given enough clock cycles. Anthony also acquired important experience in the summer of 2021 when he designed a soldering iron heating state identification system for his Junior Design course’s final project. He designed his system as a printed circuit board, featuring components like a PIC microcontroller and a digital-to-analog converter. Anthony improved his soldering skills substantially during this project.
Anthony has enjoyed public speaking for a long time, even taking a course about the subject as a University of Florida freshman. Fascinated by martial arts, he holds a black belt in Taekwondo and has started attending classes at the University of Florida’s Kickboxing Club.
Derek Perdomo
Computer Engineering
Derek Perdomo is an accomplished Computer Engineering student. This fall term, he will continue his undergraduate studies as a senior at the University of Florida. Additionally, he is taking advantage of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s combined degree program to pursue his graduate studies in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Outside the classroom, he continues to participate in robotics and engineering organizations on campus such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Additionally, he served as the Humanoid Robot Director for SHPE UF.
Besides maintaining a 4.0 GPA, he has interned at Lockheed Martin Aerospace (LMAero), Northrop Grumman, and Chevron. As a Software Engineering Intern at LMAero, Derek developed an automated File Cleanup Utility and provided testing and documentation for 16 utilities used by field maintenance engineers. Additionally, as a Northrop Grumman College Technical Intern, he completed many projects such as developing and packaging applications to download E-2D aircraft data from Removable Storage Media and automating the drafting of Test Oriented Wire Lists for the United States Navy. Throughout this internship, Derek was recognized by top executives at for his extraordinary commitment to saving the company more than $1 million. Through mentorship and guidance, Derek completed many projects that will set new standards and save these companies work hours and money. Every engineer he met valued his communication skills and his commitment to providing his best.
Derek plans to enter the aerospace or robotics industry upon completion of his master’s degree. Throughout his endeavors, he believes the words of Walt Disney in his heart: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Elizabeth Sanchez
Mechanical Engineering
Elizabeth Sanchez is currently in her final year of study at the University of Florida majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomechanics. She will graduate May 2022 and plans to begin working as a mechanical engineer with an interest in advancing medical devices. Currently, Elizabeth is a lab instructor for a design and manufacturing course offered at UF where she teaches students about manufacturing processes, design for manufacturing principles, and how to safely use machining equipment (milling machine, engine lathe, bandsaw). She is also currently an intern at Gainesville Prosthetics where she assists with fabrication of prosthetic and orthotic devices using techniques such as blister/drape forming, drilling, grinding, and heat forming. In addition to fabrication, she collaborates with Gainesville Prosthetics to provide innovative design solutions to facilitate manufacturing processes and reduce defects. Aside from a manufacturing skillset, Elizabeth has also gained extensive experience in programming during her internship at JP Morgan Chase and Co. in their software engineering program this past summer. Here she collaborated with other computer scientists and implemented Agile project management strategies.
With a strong passion for innovation, Elizabeth has worked with biomedical engineering-based research labs on campus. She has contributed to projects such as a myoelectric lower limb exoskeleton and machine learning algorithm to predict heart failure.
Coming from a Hispanic household, Elizabeth celebrates her heritage as a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and serves as the internal coordinator, secretary, and an instructor for the Gator Salsa Club (GSC) at UF. In her roles at GSC, she is responsible for administrative work such as permits and club registration, as well as event planning, fundraising, and teaching beginner to advanced salsa and bachata classes.