Mechanical Engineering

Edwin Crocker Portfolio

Portfolio

NAR- National Association of Rocketry

This project was to build a rocket for my Level 1 high power rocketry certification. I originally wanted to build one from scratch, but a scratch build would not qualify because it would be nearly impossible to guarantee it met the correct motor specifications. So I went with a kit instead.Even with a kit, it was not a simple build. The main body tube has a 4 inch diameter, and the centering rings that hold the motor in place are designed to fit that. What I did not expect was that my rocket had a second inner section where the fins attach, and that reduced the actual clearance by about a quarter of an inch. The centering rings were too large to pass through.

The fix was sanding them down to fit. There was no exact measurement to work toward, just sand a little, test the fit, and repeat until they seated correctly. It took longer than expected, but getting it right mattered because if the centering rings are off, the motor is not aligned properly inside the rocket.

Modeling in 3D came naturally enough, but the part that actually challenged me was producing engineering drawings that you send to a machinist so they can manufacture the part. Working on piston designs for an engine made that gap clear fast. A 3D model tells you what something looks like; a drawing has to communicate every dimension, tolerance, and view a machinist needs to cut the part correctly. Getting those drawings right placing the right views, calling out the right dimensions, making sure nothing was missing or contradicting, took a lot more thought than the modeling itself. It was one of those things where I didn’t realize how much detail was involved until I had to produce it for someone else.

SolidWorks

NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS)

This program was created for community college students, and getting accepted was an exciting way to start my second year. The program is built as a series of three missions, and I'm currently in the first one, Mission 1: Discover. So far, I've learned how NASA plans and builds its missions, and how engineers take on huge challenges by breaking them into smaller and more manageable parts.

I've also had the chance to hear from NASA scientists and engineers, which made the work feel real. I'm hoping to move on to the next two missions, but NCAS has already shown me something important: community college students have a seat at the big table too.

Riot Creative Color

This internship gave me a hands-on look at how the printing industry works, from blueprints and business cards to restaurant menus, billboards, and posters. I worked in both manufacturing and digital prepress, but most of my time was spent in prepress. But also learning the packaging and communication with clients.

I joined the team as a Junior Digital Prepress Technician, where I reviewed client artwork to make sure it was print ready and that order quantities were correct. I also helped keep projects on schedule and tracked pricing and materials for each job. Seeing a project go from a client's file to a finished print taught me how much planning and attention to detail goes into every piece. Later on in my career I became Senior Digital Prepress.

HTML Project

I build this website with the help of AI, starting with no coding experience and learning as I worked on the project. My goal was to create one place to follow the market without paywalls and biased coverage that are selling/promoting an idea.

The dashboard pulls in live financial news, tracks currencies from different countries, and shows how markets are performing around the world. It also follows the stocks I've personally researched, along with ETFs and index funds, using interactive charts and sector panels to keep everything organized.

I'm not an experienced trader, but everyone starts somewhere. As the project grew, I found out that firms like Charles Schwab and Fidelity offer similar tools to their clients, which showed me I was building something with real world value.

HMLT Link

Clubs

STEM Club Treasure

As treasure I handle the finances of the club, a lot of people come in and out all through out the day and we provide snacks and I handle which is in our budget. As well as fund raising for the club project of building a rocket, but also worrying about the cost of transportation to go and launch the rocket.

School Communitee Treasure

While in high school I handled the finances for the events being held in school, some were small as hosting movie nights at the school, but also handling bigger events like budgeting for field trips. Also raising money by selling goodie bags for Easter and also selling snacks.

Academy Assisant Treasure

While also being school committee treasure I was also an assistant treasure for my academy. My school had three academies, Finance, Engineering, and Health academies. I was in the finance academy and we sold printing services and we budgeted cost for the ink and paper