Meet the Orange Team!
Meet the Orange Team!
Erick Allen
Orange Team Web Site Specialist / Public Relations
Areas of Interest:
- Computer Aided Design & Computer Generated Artistic Renderings of Machines
- Automotive Engineering, Piston Engine Design & Fuel Efficiency
- History of Engineering / Technology
- High Performance Computing, Information Technologies, Web Site Design
I grew up in Surry, Maine and graduated from George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, Maine. It was there that I began the journey leading to a career in engineering. In high school I gained hands on experience in metalworking and manufacturing. I also discovered that I enjoyed physics and geometry. Fascination with the workings of the universe, paired with a love of technology and a hands on approach led me to choose engineering as a profession. Over time engineering has become more than a just a profession for me. It is a way of thinking that can be applied to a diverse array of situations in daily life.
I have worked as a computer technician on campus since March of 2010. There I combine one of my old hobbies with problem solving and the opportunity to demonstrate new technologies and techniques to faculty and staff. Being able to solve problems and make someone’s day go smoother is a very rewarding experience that makes the job worthwhile.
In addition to working as a computer technician, I have been a teaching assistant for the introductory technical drawing courses since Fall 2011 and will be working with the second year computer aided manufacturing and engineering course starting Spring 2012.
Much of my spare time is spent working on cars. A vehicle is a complex machine designed with a wide variety of engineering, environmental, and artistic considerations which make for system which appeals to the user’s senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell, in addition to providing safe and reliable performance. Understanding the complex relationship between handling, performance, driver comfort, fuel efficiency, and environmental impact is something I have been interested in for a long time.
I’m pleased to participate in the 2012 Senior Design Competition. Working with my teammates to transform traditional engineering components into a piece that will be visually pleasing to viewers of all ages and backgrounds will be a fun, challenging, and very unique opportunity.
James (Jimmy) Arcaro
Orange Team Controls Engineer
Areas of Interest:
• Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living
• Outdoor Sports and Camping Equipment design
• Soccer and Hockey
• Animals and Wildlife
• Photography
I grew up in Gorham, Maine. I graduated from Gorham High School in 2007. While there I participated in soccer, track, tennis, math club, and robotics. Outside of school I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and played premier soccer year round.
I was very involved with my school’s FIRST Robotics team. I was on the mechanical team all four years, part of the drive team two years, and team captain for two years. On the team I learned how to progress through the design process and how to look at problems in different ways. I taught the younger students how to do this as well. I worked alongside some great engineers and learned a lot from them.
I started college as a Mechanical Engineering student. After two and a half years I realized that I wanted more of a “hands on” approach to engineering and switched programs to Mechanical Engineering Technology. I have loved it ever since.
I am excited to work with my capstone group to design and build a great kinetic sculpture for the Maine Discovery Museum.
Joe Coppens
Orange Team Design Engineer
Areas of Interest:
• Computer Aided Design, Manufacturing & Engineering
• Automotive Engineering
• History of Engineering / Technology
• Design and Analysis of Mechanical Linkages and Systems
• Creation and Design of Composite Materials
I grew up in Topsham, Maine and graduated from Mt. Ararat High School. I took many advanced classes in the fields of mathematics and science. It was in high school I developed an interest in the field of mechanical engineering, and pursued it on my own time with small projects such as building small scale catapults and working on cars.
I have been working at the Advanced Engineered Wood Composite center on the University of Maine campus since February of 2011 in the nano technology department. There I have learned how to develop and manufacture different types of nano composites. I have learned how to deal with real world technical problems as they come up while working, including mechanical failures and unexpected results from production procedures.
I am very happy to be working on this Senior Design Competition to use traditional engineering knowledge to develop and produce a new one of a kind product that will be on public display and bring entertainment to many people.
Brian Seagrave
Areas of Interest:
- Automotive, Diesel
- Firearms
I am a fourth year Mechanical Engineering Technology student at the University of Maine. I grew up in Uxbridge, Massachusetts where I attended Uxbridge High school and played varsity football, baseball, and track. The reason I joined M.E.T. is because I love working with machines and working with CAD programs. I have always enjoyed building things ever since I was a little kid playing with my first Legos.
I chose UMaine because I have always enjoyed the way of life in Maine and this campus was exactly what I was looking for. Even the Maine-iaks at the Hockey games fit me well as my high school was notorious for their superfanning. Besides being a Maine-iak I also play floor hockey and intramural softball. But that’s during the year I spend my summers restoring a 1971 Javelin-AMX built by American Motors Corporation. I have disassembled several parts cars and have done all of the mechanical work by myself with the help of my father and grandfather. Besides the Javelin, I also work on my grandfather’s bucket tractor, 1951 Ford F1 pickup, and my cousins Camaro project.
I hope to graduate in May and leave a lasting impression with our own original kinetic sculpture.
Justin Smith
Areas of interest:
- Computer Aided Design, Modeling, and Manufacturing
- Business Administration
- Alternative energies including solar, nuclear, wind, etc.
I grew up in a small town called Litchfield, New Hampshire where I graduated from Campbell High School. I did not have a lot of exposure to engineering as it was a small school with not much engineering focus, but growing up I always was very interested in how things worked and I excelled in my math and science courses.
After high school I decided to attend the University of Maine in Orono, because it was a friendly place and I really liked the school and the people here, it felt like home. After starting college as undecided, I went on to start Mechanical Engineering curriculum and found it to be pretty tough for me because it was such a theoretical program and I was much more of a hands on learner. So after some searching in my sophomore year of college I came across the Mechanical Engineering Technology program, this felt like such a great fit to me and really was a program designed for my strengths. Now I am in my 5th year overall at UMaine and my 4th and final year as an MET student. I am very excited and ready to further my career as an engineer after college doing something that I am passionate for.
I don’t have a much engineering experience, in terms of an engineering job, I have had none. This past summer I did however gain some real world work experience while working as an intern for Sonus Networks in Westford, MA. Sonus Networks makes telecommunication solutions that it then sells to big service providers amongst other customers. While at Sonus I gained many skills: networking, people, organizational, research, and basic telecommunication skills to name a few. This job, along with my senior design project is the closest that I have come to working in a field that I would like to start a career in thus far.
Although I don’t have much experience, I am a hardworking and motivated person that works very well in teams and would make a great addition to any company. This design project gives me a great opportunity to show the kind of great work that I am capable of. I am excited to get going on this project and to come together with my teammates to create something that is innovative and can produce smiles on every kid’s face that sees our dynamic sculpture.