HI, I'M JONAH!

About Me

I am an innovative and hard-working third-year mechanical engineering student at Case Western Reserve University, passionate about designing and building. Check out my engineering + design work, creative projects, and music endeavors.

Engineering + Design

Baja SAE

As a dedicated member (and driver) of the CWRU Motorsports Baja team, I have designed multiple critical components and systems for our off-road racing vehicle. This experience has provided me with practical skills in design, manufacturing, and engineering. I have experience in:

  • Fusion 360

  • Ansys

  • Solidworks

  • Siemens NX

  • Onshape

I designed the brake pedal for our 2025 competition vehicle. Through over 40 iterations of topology optimization, I achieved a lightweight yet robust design, reducing the mass to 0.13 pounds—2.5 times lighter than the previous year’s pedal.

Brake Pedal

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in Ansys shows a Factor of Safety (FOS) of 1.25 under a 450 lbf load.

5:1 Pedal Ratio

Pedal sides to be waterjet from 1/4 inch 6061 aluminum.

During the 2024 season, I led the integration of our proprietary angle-sensing board, “Honeybee,” into our vehicle. Honeybee utilizes a Hall-effect sensor to measure the board’s angle relative to a nearby magnet, providing precise angular measurements.

Honeybee

Honeybee comunicates with the rest of the car using CAN and provides crucial feedback for various algorithms.

I designed 7 distinct mounting solutions for various joints on the car, pictured here are the steering rack and suspension arm sensors. Each case was 3D printed then waterproofed with potting compound.

I designed a POV camera system for the 2023 vehicle by embedding a drone camera into the firewall behind the driver. This setup offers adjustability while remaining rugged enough to protect the camera in tough driving conditions.

Driver POV Camera

Creative Projects

Midcentury Modern Clock

I was commissioned to create a kitchen clock that highlighted the midcentury modern style of a recent renovation. After several iterations, I settled on this eye-catching design, featuring maple, walnut, and brass accents.

The wooden components were machined using a CNC router requiring minimal post-processing. The brass pins were turned on a manual lathe, and the hands were cut on a waterjet.

Wooden Flower Vase with Metal Flowers

I woodturned this piece, standing at over 18 inches tall, and welded the accompanying flowers.

I made two smaller vases, each with a single flower, using a new technique with verticaly laminated boards to achieve the unique pattern.

Theater Set Lighting Integration

I integrated all lighting into this spaceship interior mobile set piece for the sci-fi musical The Brain From Planet X, with full wireless DMX control. A WS2818 addressable LED strip provided underglow, while flashing LEDs on the control panel were managed by an Arduino, receiving DMX input to control various flashing patterns. For the top colored panels, I used hex par lights aimed at frosted acrylic sheets to create a soft, vibrant glow.

Octahedron

As part of my successful interview for a student technician position at Sears think[box], I challenged myself to produce a visually striking regular octahedron using a novel and complex woodworking technique.

I created the pattern by sandwiching a thin maple strip between the curved cuts of walnut and purpleheart. I used CAD to calculate the compound angles and built a jig to cut them on the miter saw.

Basement Stage

I constructed a basement stage for my band, featuring a full DMX lighting setup with lights, lasers, and fog. The stage was built using pallets and OSB, and covered with a Turkish rug.

Custom MIDI pedal I designed to control lights while simultaneously playing drums.

Music

In late 2022, I founded the sensational rock group Lake Effect, taking on the roles of manager, drummer, and keyboardist. Over the past two years, we’ve performed numerous gigs both on and off campus, and we’re in the process of releasing our debut studio album featuring all original music. Stream our music on apple music and spotify and follow us on instagram to stay up to date.