Built With
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Priscilla X. Vazquez
Mechanical Engineering Student Focused on Sustainable Space Technologies
California Institute of Technology
ABOUT ME
I am a mechanical engineering student focused on aerospace systems and sustainability-driven design. My work spans experimental fluid mechanics, computational modeling, and hardware prototyping, from studying meltwater infiltration in porous media to designing thin-film solar structures for Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project. I’m motivated by technologies that make aerospace systems more efficient, adaptive, and environmentally responsible.
Integration of Thin-Film Solar Cells with Tensioned Kapton Substrates for Space Solar Power Applications
This project supports the Caltech Space Solar Power Project by developing a Kapton-based tensioning and thermal test stand for flexible thin-film photovoltaic cells. I designed a biaxial turnbuckle system to apply controlled pre-tension to Kapton...
CAD (SolidWorks)
Experimental design
Analytical modeling
Scientific reporting
Mechanical prototyping
Thermal and mechanical testing
Tensioning and fixturing design
Meltwater Infiltration in Layered Snow Analogs Using a Quasi-2D Flow Cell
This project investigates how meltwater moves through layered snowpack by modeling snow using two-layer glass bead porous media. I designed and ran quasi-2D flow cell experiments to study how hydraulic and capillary barriers influence preferential...
Hydrology
Fluid mechanics
Porous media flow
Experimental design
Image analysis (ImageJ)
Python (data processing)
Experimental instrumentation
Design, Fabrication, and Control of Competitive ME72 Robots
Our team designed and built three fully functional ME72 competition robots capable of drivetrain mobility, puck handling, and integrated shooter mechanisms. My role spanned machining, CAD updates, drivetrain assembly, shooter prototyping, and...
Laser cutting
CAD (SolidWorks)
Waterjet machining
Transmission design
Drivetrain assembly
RoboClaw motor control
Mill and drill press operation
CFD and PIV Analysis of Flow Around a NACA 0012 Airfoil
In this project, we investigated the flow behavior around a NACA 0012 airfoil using both experimental PIV measurements in a closed-loop water tunnel and numerical CFD simulations in ANSYS Fluent. We analyzed velocity fields, stagnation points, wake...
PIV data acquisition
Boundary layer analysis
CFD–experiment validation
PIV vector field processing
Control volume momentum analysis
Experimental calibration and alignment
ANSYS Fluent (viscous & inviscid models)
Finite Element Analysis of 6061-T6 Aluminum Tensile Specimens Using ANSYS
This project uses finite element analysis (FEA) in ANSYS to study tensile loading behavior in 6061-T6 aluminum specimens. Both 2D and 3D dog-bone geometries were analyzed with refined meshing to capture stress concentration and deformation...
Solid Modeling
Stress Analysis
ANSYS Mechanical
Data Interpretation
Contour Plot Analysis
Finite Element Analysis
Nonlinear Material Modeling
AI-Driven Virtual Control Groups for Faster and More Efficient Clinical Trials
This project explores how AI-generated virtual control groups can reduce the cost, duration, and failure rate of Phase III clinical trials. By leveraging multimodal patient data, generative models, and historical clinical trial datasets, our...
Cost Analysis
Market Research
Systems Modeling
Data Integration
Regulatory Analysis
Technology Strategy
Clinical Trial Design