Mechanical engineering · Michigan State University

Daniela
Ojeda✳

Curiosity, engineered.

I study how materials behave, build tools to understand them, and turn that understanding into things that work.

Explore my projects My experience

Look a little closer.
There’s more beneath the surface.

Materials / Manufacturing / Control systemsScroll to explore ↓Michigan, USA · Class of 2027

01 / EXPERIENCE

Different settings.
The same curiosity.

Research, industry, and the communities that shape how I engineer.

Jan 2026 – PresentLAMPResearch AssistantResearch

Michigan State University

Investigating machining, tribology, and large-strain deformation. Connecting processing conditions to how metals behave.

Controlling the cut
2026TennecoResearch Engineering InternIndustry

Plymouth, Michigan

Developed experimental bearing materials and led failure, validation, and reverse-engineering investigations.

A better bearing material Understanding why parts fail
May 2026Inaugural Global Engineering ProgramStudy-abroad participantGlobal learning

Michigan State University · Seoul & Tokyo

A two-week program in Seoul and Tokyo before my Tenneco internship. Visited the Center for Quantum Nanoscience, Seoul Energy Dream Center, and Hyundai Motor Company in Seoul; teamLab, Asobism, GPSS Group, and Nikken Sekkei in Tokyo.

Explore the company visits ↗
May – Dec 2025Mechanics of Solids and Materials LabResearch InternResearch

University of Michigan

Built parametric FEM workflows and a MATLAB elastoplastic solver for advanced materials research.

Geometry into simulation Beyond the elastic limit
Aug 2024 – May 2025Industrial Training and Assessment CenterEnergy & Sustainability Analyst InternResearch

Michigan State University

Conducted industrial energy assessments and modeled photovoltaic and battery systems.

Solar, sized to the site Finding energy opportunities
Jan 2026 – PresentEngineering Inclusive ExcellenceAcademic TutorCommunity

Michigan State University

Tutor 40+ students in Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics, strengthening quantitative problem-solving.

May 2025 – PresentSociety of Hispanic Professional EngineersNationals Chair · Former Academic ChairLeadership

Michigan State University

Organize academic and professional development workshops and support member engagement.

Nov 2023 – PresentBroadening Participation K–12Administrative Ambassador & Coding MentorCommunity

Michigan State University

Lead engineering outreach and teach Java, Python, and HTML through hands-on workshops.

Sep 2023 – PresentScholars Advisory BoardTreasurer · Former Outreach DirectorLeadership

Michigan State University

Connect incoming students with resources and events through outreach and communications.

ALSO PART OF ASME · SWE · Women in Engineering Connect · FORTÉ · Rewriting the Code · Autodesk Ambassador

02 / SELECTED PROJECTS

Ideas, put
to the test.

Explore the question, the process, and my contribution.

Experimental setup and process parameters for constrained cutting01
ResearchJan 2026 – Present

Controlling the cut

LAMP · Michigan State University

Studying how a second tool changes chip flow, cutting forces, and the surface left behind.

Connected chip-flow behavior to force, strain, and surface quality.

Open project
Daniela handling a glowing crucible during casting work at Tenneco02
Industry2026

A better bearing material

Tenneco · Plymouth, Michigan

Developing and testing 24 experimental Al–Zn bearing samples to narrow a manufacturable material development path.

24 experimental samples developed and tested.

Open project
Daniela beside the Tenneco sign in Plymouth03
Industry2026

Understanding why parts fail

Tenneco · Plymouth, Michigan

Investigating product behavior and root causes to support engineering and manufacturing decisions.

Delivered recommendations supporting product and manufacturing decisions.

Open project
04
ResearchMay – Dec 2025

Geometry into simulation

Mechanics of Solids and Materials Lab · University of Michigan

Automating Gmsh models for elasticity, plasticity, fracture, and tetra-chiral auxetic structures.

30% improvement in preprocessing efficiency.

Open project
05
ResearchMay – Dec 2025

Beyond the elastic limit

Mechanics of Solids and Materials Lab · University of Michigan

Predicting stress–strain behavior and material heterogeneity in composite unit cells.

Reusable simulation and analysis workflows for composite unit cells.

Open project
REopt workflow showing facility loads, costs, technology inputs, and optimized system outputs06
Research2024 – 2025

Solar, sized to the site

ITAC / Energy research · Michigan State University

Using REopt to study solar and battery configurations across 33 Michigan commercial and industrial facilities.

33 Michigan facilities modeled; presented at UURAF 2025.

Open project
07
ResearchAug 2024 – May 2025

Finding energy opportunities

Industrial Training and Assessment Center · Michigan State University

Connecting facility audits with energy modeling and operational constraints.

Identified opportunities for 10–15% electricity-demand reduction.

Open project
08
BuildFeb 2025

Accessware

SpartaHack 11 · Michigan State University

An Arduino-controlled robotic arm that automates physical testing of controllers and joysticks.

Integrated a robotic arm for automated controller and joystick testing.

Open project
SWIPE / SCROLL TO EXPLORE01 / 08
Daniela using protective equipment while handling a glowing crucible during a casting process

FIELD NOTES / TENNECO

Understanding
starts with
getting involved.

There’s a different kind of learning that happens when the material is right in front of you.

RESEARCH ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP / CASTING

Portrait of Daniela OjedaDANIELA OJEDA / MICHIGAN

03 / THE ENGINEER

A little analytical.
A lot curious.

I’m a mechanical engineering student at Michigan State University’s Honors College, with a minor in Materials Science and an expected graduation in May 2027. I’m drawn to the place where physical systems, computation, and manufacturing meet.

My work moves between the lab bench, the simulation, and the manufacturing floor. I like asking why a material behaves the way it does, then building a way to find out. I’m also studying control systems, and I’m excited to explore how feedback can help industrial systems behave more reliably.

Outside the lab, I teach coding, mentor students, and help create spaces where more people can see themselves in engineering. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish, and I bring that same curiosity to the communities I’m part of.

Michigan State University
Mechanical Engineering, B.S.Materials Science minor
Expected May 2027
More about my journey ↗

04 / COMMUNITY

Engineering opens doors.
Let’s hold them open.

150+Students & families engaged
30+Students taught coding
40+Students tutored

THROUGH OUTREACH, CODING & TUTORING

01

Día de Ciencias

An annual collaboration between MSU SHPE and Broadening Participation K–12, using hands-on activities and representation to build STEM confidence and belonging.

02

Coding & engineering outreach

Developing hands-on Java, Python, and HTML workshops for middle school students, with curriculum planning and progress tracking.

03

Academic support & mentorship

Tutoring Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics through Engineering Inclusive Excellence, and mentoring through Women in Engineering Connect.

04

Student leadership

Supporting SHPE members as Nationals Chair and connecting incoming students to opportunities as Scholars Advisory Board Treasurer and former Outreach Director.

Students at a Michigan State Honors College International Scholars Advisory Board outreach table
01 / COMMUNITY IN ACTION

Connecting students through the Scholars Advisory Board.

Women in Engineering participants gathered for a Design Day group photo
02 / WOMEN IN ENGINEERING

A community to learn with and grow alongside.

Vehicle concepts and a UX Test Zone exhibit during the Hyundai visit

05 / ENGINEERING, ELSEWHERE

Same curiosity.
New coordinates.

Michigan State University
Inaugural Global Engineering Program
May 2026 · Two weeks

SEOULTOKYO

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY VISIT / SEOUL

A CLASSROOM WITHOUT FOUR WALLS

Joining MSU’s inaugural Global Engineering program brought my learning into company visits and research spaces in Seoul and Tokyo.

06 / TOOLKIT

How I work.

The tools change. The need to ask good questions stays.

CURRENTLY EXPLORING / CONTROL SYSTEMS

Make it respond.
Then make it settle.

I’m currently studying control systems and exploring how feedback connects modeling, sensors, and physical behavior in industrial applications.

Try changing the damping. Watch how the system responds to the same target.

UNIT-STEP RESPONSEωₙ = 2 rad/s
Response of an illustrative second-order systemUnderdamped, damping ratio 0.45, peak overshoot 20.5 percent. Time runs from zero to ten seconds. The target response is one.
0 s5 s10 s

Dashed line: target 1.0 · Brown curve: response

Underdamped20.5% peak overshoot

Illustrative model · y″ + 2ζωₙy′ + ωₙ²y = ωₙ²
A learning experiment, not project test data.

01

Design & simulation

SolidWorks / Siemens NX / Fusion 360 / CATIA / Creo / AutoCAD / ANSYS / Gmsh / ONELAB

02

Code & computation

Python / MATLAB / C++ / JavaScript / HTML/CSS / FEM / Data visualization

03

Testing & characterization

SEM/EDS / DSC/TGA / FTIR / Optical microscopy / XPS / ICP / Metallography / XRD / Spectromax

04

Processes & analysis

Machining / Tribology / Casting / Heat treatment / GD&T / DFM / REopt / ASHRAE assessments

07 / RECOGNITION

A few milestones.

Daniela holding a scholarship certificate at an MSU College of Engineering recognition event
MSU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Every semester

Dean’s List

Michigan State University
2026

Dean's Showcase of Star Gold Scholarship

MSU College of Engineering
2025

Honors College Winter Research Scholar Award

MSU Honors College
2025

Dean's Showcase of Star Gold Scholarship

MSU College of Engineering
2024

Honors College Kolasa-Kelly Scholarship

MSU Honors College
2024

Dean's Showcase of Star Gold Scholarship

MSU College of Engineering
2024

Wielenga Scholars Award

MSU Honors College