Ashley Zimmerer: Ongoing Engineering Projects & Skill Development in Boulder, CO

As an aspiring mechanical engineer, design and aerospace enthusiast, I’m committed to staying ahead of the curve, acquiring new skills, and strengthening existing ones. You’ll often find me working on one of my passion projects, which include: - Studying, reading, learning and immersing myself in all things Aerospace, Design, and R&D … I just LOVE this field! - Coding my own website from scratch at ashleyz.me - Conceptualizing, inventing, and developing a self-sustaining desktop planter with automatic watering and lighting systems I’m excited to bring my expertise, passion, and enthusiasm to my next challenge as an engineer. If you love this field as much as I do, let’s connect! I LOVE connecting with like-minded professionals who share my enthusiasm for engineering, space, and STEM. Feel free to send me a connection request on LinkedIn. Or reach out directly - zimmerer.ashley@gmail.com

- Designed and showcased an electro-mechanical blackout curtain for an interactive tradeshow model greenhouse - Received the People’s Choice Award for Distinction in Design at the Spring 2016 Senior Design Expo

As a structures team lead, I oversaw the structural sub-system team for the Air Force Research Lab-funded RocketSat-10 project. For this project, I was personally in charge of designing and manufacturing structural components that supported the material science research payload mission conducted on 2 sub-orbital sounding rocket flights. DESIGN: - I personally designed and manufactured a sealing aluminum shell that protected our research from contamination and the temperature extremes experienced during launch, re-entry, and splashdown. TESTING - As a team of 3, we executed more than 150 tests to optimize the shape of a copper-ring component for functionality and manufacturability, while also minimizing costs. RESEARCH - After completing our work, I co-authored an AIAA paper, which outlined research findings. This paper was 1 of just 30 papers selected for presentation at the 2015 AIAA RM student conference in Wichita, KS – a HUGE honor!

As a team lead, I contributed to the NASA-funded project creating a high-altitude balloon payload structure for tracking sun movements. I prepared and analyzed the payload for testing and integration with NASA facilities, and presented my recommendations for improvements. The accomplishment I’m most proud of was reducing the project cost $5,000 by researching optical system components and identifying a viable solution.