{"id":16,"date":"2020-08-03T19:25:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T19:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2025-10-03T19:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T19:11:09","slug":"meet-this-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/meet-this-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet This Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Matthew Charran – EE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matthew is an undergraduate electrical engineering student specializing in power and energy, with knowledge of control systems and power electronic circuits. He has gained hands-on experience working with electrical components in aviation applications, where he began with wire harness repairs and testing before moving into the quality department. There, he performed inspections and created technical documentation outlining the work scope and bill of materials (BOM). To ensure proper Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) protocol was followed, he conducted technical research using manuals such as the Component Maintenance Manuals (CMM) and the Structural Repair Manuals (SRM). His academic work involves analyzing linear and power systems. In his design team with Gatorloop, his current focus is on developing the battery pack and shutdown circuit for their hyperloop pod. He focuses on projects related to battery management systems (BMS), energy efficiency, and power electronics. He has experience with battery configurations, and cell balancing. Matthew combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on testing to validate performance ensuring efficiency and safety. Reflecting his approach to engineering challenges, Matthew cites Albert Einstein: <\/a>\u201cStrive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.\u201d <\/a><\/em>This quote guides his focus as he measures himself not by the quantity of work, but by the quality of his contribution. Outside of academics, Matthew practices martial arts and enjoys working on cars, applying problem solving and analytical skills.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rebecca Kane – BME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca Kane is a biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida, minoring in Pathogenesis. Her academic and research journey reflects a deep integration of biological insight and engineering design, with a focus on translating complex systems into functional biomedical solutions. She has collaborated on a biomedical instrumentation project to design and build a simplified pacemaker, applying principles of circuit modeling, signal interpretation, and physiological feedback. In the Parker Lab, Rebecca investigates bacterial microbiomes through DNA extraction and primer tracking in cocultures, quantifying microbial populations to inform preventative strategies for bacterial diseases. Her work combines wet-lab precision with diagnostic foresight, reinforcing her ability to engineer systems that respond to biological complexity. Rebecca\u2019s exploration of quantum physiology, refining theoretical models for detecting cardiac arrhythmias, demonstrates her capacity to bridge physics and biomedical diagnostics. Her interdisciplinary strengths span programming, device modeling, and design optimization, supported by clinical insight gained through physician shadowing and recognition on the Dean\u2019s List for academic excellence. Outside the lab, Rebecca is a student pilot and musician, bringing creativity and precision to both technical and artistic domains. As Peter Diamandis writes in Abundance<\/em>, \u201cThe best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.\u201d Rebecca draws inspiration from this, channeling her engineering training and scientific curiosity into the development of biomedical systems designed to meet the demands of real-world healthcare environments.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jose Manriquez Gonzalez – ME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jose Manriquez Gonzalez is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Florida, pursuing a minor in Biomechanics and certificates in Engineering Innovation and Project Management. Born and raised in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, Jose later moved to the mainland United States to pursue stronger educational and economic opportunities, bringing with him a strong desire to grow and persevere. Jose’s most recent experience saw him as an Automation Engineering Intern at Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he identified energy system inefficiencies that earned him the Best Environmental Health and Safety Project, with recommendations projected to save $110,000 and cut 500 lbs of carbon dioxide annually. He also gained valuable exposure at an externship with Medtronic, which provided additional insight into GMP environments and medical device manufacturing. In addition, multiple internships at J.O.G. Engineering Corp. provided him the opportunity of assisting in site inspections for complex building restorations and author project documentation and cost estimates for hurricane damage assessments of up to $500,000 in damages. Outside of industry, Jose is also involved in multiple organizations across the University of Florida. As the acting Secretary of the Florida Calisthenics Club and former Treasurer of the International Engineering Ambassadors, Jose has actively focused on redefining club onboarding processes and cross-organizational collaboration. Jose approaches decision-making, problem solving, engineering and leadership with the belief that small, consistent choices shape long-term growth, taking inspiration from James Clear\u2019s New York Times best selling book, \u201cAtomic Habits\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Joseph Perry – CpE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Joseph Perry is an undergraduate senior at the University of Florida majoring in computer engineering, and he is a part of the 4+1 combination degree program in pursuit of a master\u2019s degree in electrical and computer engineering. He is also pursuing an undergraduate certificate in Engineering Project Management. Originally, he is from Jacksonville, Florida where he lived for most of his life. Joseph is involved in several Honor Societies at UF, including Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, and IEEE Eta Kappa Nu. The latter of which he currently serves on the executive board as the recording secretary and has previously served as a chair for that same honor society. He has worked as an Undergraduate Peer Instructor (equivalent of a TA for undergrads) for Digital Logic and Computer Systems during his time at UF and had also worked previously as a barista at Starbucks. Joseph passed the FE for electrical and computer engineering and has been named to the college of engineering\u2019s dean\u2019s list multiple times. He is the recipient of several scholarships including the UF Presidential Scholarship, the Lockheed Martin STEM scholarship, and Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholar. Joseph joined the IPPD program here at UF to gain experience on a real-world project and working with<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Benjamin Sachs – ME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Sachs is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Florida pursuing the combined B.S.\/M.S. degree program, with plans to complete his master\u2019s degree in one additional year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gained industry experience through two internships with EXP Engineering in Coral Gables, where he worked on projects at Miami International Airport (MIA). His responsibilities included developing Revit models, supporting MEP coordination, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to produce construction documentation. He also participated in design reviews and applied Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes to improve coordination and support constructability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin\u2019s skills include 3D modeling, Revit, and engineering analysis, with interests in HVAC systems and building-construction engineering. Through the Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) program, he has strengthened his interdisciplinary teamwork, problem-solving, and project-based design skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of academics, Benjamin enjoys surfing and crocheting, activities that reflect both balance and creativity. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Andrew Theophilopoulos – ME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Drew Theophilopoulos is a 4th year mechanical engineering major at the University of Florida. In May 2026, he will graduate from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Drew\u2019s passion for science and mathematics led him to take multiple positions associated with UF including a teaching assistant role for Finite Element Analysis and a research position in the Fluids and Adaptive Structures Lab working on the robotic fish project. Furthermore, Drew has gained valuable experience working in cross-functional design teams for Real World Engineering on the Robotic Arm Payload team. He has also been a proud leader of the Hume Resident Assistant team for the past 3 years. Most recently, he has joined the Greek American Student Association. Drew has made the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering\u2019s Dean\u2019s List every semester he has been at UF. Over the summer, Drew interned at Docking Robotics, a small robotics company based in Daytona Beach, Florida. Here he worked with his team to complete multiple projects for the organization. This internship experience enhanced his skills of rapid prototyping, CAD, and electro-mechanical design. When he graduates, he intends to find a position at a company involving mechanical design to gain even more experience in product design. He has hopes of eventually getting his master\u2019s in computer science or electrical engineering to become a more multi-disciplinary engineer. In the very far future, he hopes to lead a team of professional engineers on a major project. In his free time, Drew likes to work out at the gym, watch football and play the guitar. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Matthew Charran – EE Matthew is an undergraduate electrical engineering student specializing in power and energy, with knowledge of control systems and power electronic circuits. He has gained hands-on experience working with electrical components in aviation applications, where he began… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-16","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":883,"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions\/883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ippd.ufl.edu\/blogs\/ay2526team15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}