Meet our students

Meet our Undergraduate Students

Daniel Ingriselli

Daniel Ingriselli

Daniel Ingriselli

January 27, 2023

Meet Daniel!

Hey there, I'm Daniel and I am a 4B Mechanical Engineering student.

Throughout my time at Waterloo, I have always been on a design team. My first experience in a Design Team was with Waterloop (the hyperloop team), where I was the Aerodynamics Lead and helped design their current pod.

Later on, I joined the UW Formula Motorsport team, where I help to design and manufacture an open wheel style race car. 

Why did you choose Waterloo Engineering?

I chose UWaterloo because of its outstanding co-op program and its amazing Engineering programs. I knew this program was for me by seeing where Waterloo Engineering students were doing their co-ops and their accomplishments. I knew that in the real-world, experience is key. So, the coop program would give me a competitive advantage above other new graduates. In addition, co-op would strengthen my network and provides income to assist with tuition/school payments.

What has been your favourite thing about your program so far?

The student design teams and the passion my fellow students share are the best things so far. I couldn't have imagined just how awesome it is to work with 20 other students towards a goal of making a hyperloop pod or race car and making it work and go fast.

Your favourite co-op experience?

I've had many good coops experiences, but two stand out the most:

  1. I worked at Tesla as an Aerothermal Engineer. I was an Aerodynamicist that designed the ducts and vent for the HVAC system inside current and future Tesla vehicles. This was incredibly hard, and if you've ever seen the interior of a Tesla, you would see that it is not as easy as a traditional automaker's vents.
  2. I worked at a drone startup called Zipline, as an applied Aerodynamicist. In that role, I assisted in designing Zipline's next generation drone, as well as designing new sensors that increased sensing accuracy by orders of magnitude.

The best thing about both of these roles was the fact that I was not treated as an intern but was rather treated as a full-time employee that was a part of the team.

Advice for first year/incoming students?

Just like with anything, you get out what you put in.  

Participating in the design teams at Waterloo has made the experience go from good to amazing. Get involved and put yourself out there, try new things, and have a learning attitude in and out of the classroom.

Sahil Kale

Sahil Kale

Sahil Kale

January 26, 2023

Meet Sahil!

Hey there, I'm Sahil and I'm a 3B Mechatronics Engineering student who loves all things robots and airplanes!

Last semester, I interned as an Embedded Software Developer at Skydio in San Francisco, helping write code for autonomous drones.  

Within Waterloo Engineering, I'm actively involved as the Technical Director and former Team Lead of WARG (Waterloo's collegiate drone team) and the Waterloo Engineering Endowment Foundation (WEEF) as a board member.

I also love to organize events for my class for us to get together and unwind. Outside of school, I love to race gliders in my spare time at SOSA gliding club in Rockton and hang out with friends on the weekends.

Why did you choose Waterloo Engineering?

In high school, I discovered that I was a huge fan of playing with robots through my FIRST robotics team. When the time came around to pick what program I should go into, Waterloo’s Mechatronics Engineering program was a natural choice as it offered me the opportunity to explore the intersection of hardware, software, and mechanical engineering.

What has been your favourite thing about your program so far?

Friends and adventure! Don't get me wrong, getting to play with robots and call it 'school' is a blast of its own, but my favourite part of Waterloo is the amazing friends I've made along the way and the chance to explore someplace new every co-op term. It gives me a special appreciation for the less-spoken 'fun' side of Waterloo's co-op program - the chance to vibe with friends on a beach in LA after watching a rocket launch, seeing the Oshkosh airshow with coworkers & having a blast while doing it all.

Your favourite co-op experience?

I look back fondly at my co-op at Tesla as a Robotic Conrol Systems Intern on the Tesla Bot team! I got to level up my skill in the areas of electrical and firmware engineering and got exposed to the technical challenges and constraints of humanoid control systems.

Although I was an intern, I got the chance to own several projects and see them being used on the bot. I was treated like a full-time employee, all while working on a cool robot. I also got to explore California and make a bunch of friends from all over the US and Canada.

Why did you choose Waterloo Engineering?

In high school, I discovered that I was a huge fan of playing with robots through my FIRST robotics team. When the time came around to pick what program I should go into, Waterloo’s Mechatronics Engineering program was a natural choice as it offered me the opportunity to explore the intersection of hardware, software, and mechanical engineering.

What has been your favourite thing about your program so far?

Friends and adventure! Don't get me wrong, getting to play with robots and call it 'school' is a blast of its own, but my favourite part of Waterloo is the amazing friends I've made along the way and the chance to explore someplace new every co-op term. It gives me a special appreciation for the less-spoken 'fun' side of Waterloo's co-op program - the chance to vibe with friends on a beach in LA after watching a rocket launch, seeing the Oshkosh airshow with coworkers & having a blast while doing it all.

Your favourite co-op experience?

I look back fondly at my co-op at Tesla as a Robotic Conrol Systems Intern on the Tesla Bot team! I got to level up my skill in the areas of electrical and firmware engineering and got exposed to the technical challenges and constraints of humanoid control systems.

Although I was an intern, I got the chance to own several projects and see them being used on the bot. I was treated like a full-time employee, all while working on a cool robot. I also got to explore California and make a bunch of friends from all over the US and Canada.

Advice for first year/incoming students?

Be passionate! It's a cheesy thing to say, but it's easy to fall into a trap of doing what seems right instead of what feels right. University is a change from high school - for the first time, you'll get to make your path instead of it being laid out for you, and the best way to find out what that is for you is to discover what motivates you and seek opportunities to do just that.

Be passionate! It's a cheesy thing to say, but it's easy to fall into a trap of doing what seems right instead of what feels right. University is a change from high school - for the first time, you'll get to make your path instead of it being laid out for you, and the best way to find out what that is for you is to discover what motivates you and seek opportunities to do just that.

Waterloo Space Soldering Team inside plane
Friday, August 9, 2024

Student design team wins microgravity competition

A group of undergraduate students studying mechanical and mechatronics engineering with the help of students in Systems Design Engineering and Arts recently participated in the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge (CAN-RGX). They presented their research at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec, and won the Overall Excellence Award.

Department Chair, and Associate Chair, Undergraduate studies, pose pose with 2 of the 3 awardees
Monday, June 17, 2024

Students win distinguished Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering Gold Medal

Three outstanding graduating students have won the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) Gold Medal. This award recognizes students who have achieved outstanding academic achievement. We were pleased to honour this award to Matthew Krmpotic on the undergraduate level, Kyra Wanuch on the master’s level, and Run Ze Gao on the doctoral level.  Keep reading to find out what some of our newly-minted alumni had to say about their award win.