Apolonio Ordaz Resume
Apolonio Ordaz hiking outdoors

ME // 2027 · Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

I design the part. Then I make it real.

Mechanical engineering student working where CAD, analysis, and hands-on manufacturing meet. From rapid prototypes for Vandenberg Space Force Base to the coupler for a NASA WERC Artemis rover and a krypton Hall effect thruster with PEPPR.

Looking for summer 2027 internships in aerospace design and manufacturing.

Explore selected work Resume & contact

Profile

California Polytechnic State University

Degree

B.S. Mechanical EngineeringExpected December 2027 · San Luis Obispo, CA

Looking for

Looking for workMechanical design, manufacturing, R&D

Based in

San Luis Obispo, California

01 / Selected work

Engineering in context.

Projects are shown as case studies: the constraint, the engineering work, and what the result taught me.

P-40 Warhawk display aircraft at Vandenberg Space Force BaseProject—01
Internship · Restoration01 / 12

Vandenberg P-40 Display Restoration

Rebuilt the propellers and nose-cone support of the base’s P-40 display using 3D scanning, CNC machining, and fiberglass reinforcement.

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V05 CAD rendering of the PEPPR HET-01 Hall-effect thruster with annular channel and external electromagnetsProject—02
Electric propulsion · Manufacturing02 / 12

PEPPR Hall-Effect Thruster

Manufacturing a sub-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster after preparing the vacuum test setup and characterizing its magnetic system.

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Rover and charging station schematic with four rounded capacitive coupling platesProject—13
Lunar systems · Coupler lead13 / 13

Capacitive Rover Coupler

Leading a dust-tolerant, non-contact charging interface for a lunar rover through coupler architecture, integration, and validation planning.

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B-2 Spirit model suspended for a physical pendulum testProject—03
Dynamics · Experiment03 / 12

B-2 Mass Moment of Inertia

Validated two experimental methods on known geometry, then measured roll and yaw inertia for a B-2 model.

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SolidWorks stress contour showing a concentration around a filletProject—04
FEA · Validation04 / 12

Finite Element Analysis Studies

Validated simulation models against hand calculations, mesh convergence, and corrected boundary conditions.

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Completed PVC knee scooter viewed outdoors from an angleProject—05
Design · Analysis · Build05 / 12

PVC Knee Scooter

Moved from user needs and CAD through structural analysis, fabrication, and load testing.

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Built mobile bottle carrier and inverter prototypeProject—06
Product design · Prototype06 / 12

Ergonomic Bottle Carrier

Designed and tested a wheeled system for transporting and inverting a five-gallon water bottle.

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Ares Abode simulated Mars mission conceptProject—07
Systems · Leadership07 / 12

Ares Abode

Led a multidisciplinary team through planning and execution of a simulated Mars mission.

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SolidWorks drawing of an automated bottling stationProject—08
CAD · Motion study08 / 12

Automated Bottling Station

Developed the CAD assembly and motion study for a coordinated automated filling process.

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Project—09
Fluids · Experiment09 / 12

Cylinder in Uniform Flow

Mapped surface pressure and wake velocity, then compared two independent estimates of cylinder drag.

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Measured inner- and outer-wall pressure profiles through a 90-degree duct bendProject—10
Fluids · Pressure10 / 12

Flow Through a 90-Degree Bend

Measured the pressure gradient and energy loss through an instrumented rectangular duct bend.

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Low-speed wind tunnel used to measure a flat-plate boundary layerProject—11
Fluids · Wind tunnel11 / 12

Boundary Layer Over a Flat Plate

Mapped two velocity profiles to track boundary-layer growth, transition, and momentum-based drag.

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Diagram of the converging-diverging nozzle and its three pressure tapsProject—12
Fluids · Compressible12 / 12

Converging-Diverging Nozzle

Identified choked flow from pressure ratio and mass-flow data, then reconciled a sensor-location anomaly.

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02 / Experience

Built from the shop floor up.

Full timeline

  1. Coupler Lead

    WERC Task 4 · Capacitive Wireless Charging

    Leadership

  2. Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Engineering Intern

    Vandenberg Space Force Base

    Engineering

  3. Rear Suspension Team Member

    Cal Poly Racing · Baja SAE

    Engineering

  4. Engineering, Math & Physics Tutor

    Fresno City College Tutorial Center

    Teaching

  5. Assistant Wrestling Coach

    Madera Unified School District

    Leadership

03 / Capabilities

Tools are only useful when they produce better decisions.

My workflow moves from problem definition to CAD, analysis, drawings, and physical validation.

01

Design

SolidWorks · Fusion 360 · assemblies · engineering drawings · GD&T

02

Analysis

SolidWorks Simulation · FEA validation · EES · mechanics · design tradeoffs

03

Manufacturing

Manual mill · lathe · prototyping · fabrication · design for manufacturing

04

Communication

Technical documentation · tutoring · team leadership · design reviews

04 / Contact

Let’s build something that has to work.

Cal Poly university seal
Apolonio Ordaz Cal Poly San Luis Obispo B.S. Mechanical Engineering · Dec 2027 [email protected]
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