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In addition to demonstrating her putter designs, Calderon also tests the properties of different golf balls and shows off her skills on the course.

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How is golf equipment made, what is it made of and why does it matter?

You can head to engineering student Katie Calderons viral TikTok page to find answers to these questions. Whether you watch her unveil the insides of golf balls, compete in long-drive tournaments or follow her journey to develop a 3D-printed putter, Calderons page continually showcases the overlap between golf and engineering.

When I think about engineering concepts and principles, I relate them to golf, Calderon said. Engineering has helped make me a better golfer, and golfing has made me a better engineer.

Now a junior in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University and a national champion long-drive competitor, Calderon started golfing at age four when she received a free lesson offered at a hotel. Since that moment, golf has remained a constant in her life.

At age 16, she began working at a golf course, where she fell in love with golf club repairs and fittings. Although she always imagined playing golf in college, she was also interested in working in the research and development of golf clubs. She then reached out to the Callaway Golf Company for direction.

I asked someone I followed on Instagram who worked at Callaway if they could put me in contact with the team who builds golf clubs, Calderon said. When I was able to speak with a person on the development team, they immediately told me engineering was the way to go.

After many failed attempts, Calderon produced a 3D-printed putter that is functional, and she is continuing to develop her technology.

Courtesy of Katie Calderon

At the same time that she decided to pursue engineering, she began her TikTok page. After gaining hundreds of followers from a video of her attempting to make a table out of golf balls, she discovered she could use the platform to showcase how golf clubs are engineered. Making use of the 3D printers at Texas A&M, Calderon began developing and testing a 3D-printed putter the first ever to be produced.

I wanted to start exploring more within golf engineering, and my professors encouraged me that I needed to try designs out myself, she said. I created my first 3D-printed putter, and it blew up on TikTok. I started posting more videos of my design process. Engineers in the industry began commenting, giving me bits of information to improve my putters. Professional golfers have asked to try it out. This help and encouragement from experts inspired me to keep working.

Through her practical 3D printing experience and her previous jobs in golf, she understood how golf clubs were made from a mechanical aspect. But what were her golf clubs made of, and how does the clubs material makeup affect its abilities? These questions inspired her to pursue materials science and engineering.

With a degree in this field, I actually have a cooler angle on how to produce golf clubs, she said. I can learn the material aspects of wedges or putters and understand how different metals come into play when creating a club.

The summer of her freshman year, Calderon began an internship withCTRL, an Aggie-founded engineering companythat uses sensors to help improve golfers swings. Calderon said she gained many valuable tools from the internship that have helped her in school, on the green and in gaining a social media following.

When shes not making putters from scratch or cutting video clips, shes using a driver to crush balls down the fairway. As a professional long-drive competitor, Calderon is among the countrys top five best women in the sport. Her success is partially due to her ability to understand the makeup of a golf club and how this can affect her power, speed and distance.

Calderon is a professional athlete who is among the top five in the world in womens long drive.

Courtesy of Katie Calderon

Her knowledge was showcased when she partnered with a company to create her driver for the national long-drive competition. As she conveyed her interest in golf club design, the company asked Calderon if shed like to participate in the development process. When she received the first model of the club and put it to use, she noticed a problem with her spin. She hypothesized it was likely caused by a steel weight on the clubs top.

They had used 303 steel in the weight, the same steel used in putters, she said. I knew from repairs, fittings and materials classes that tungsten would be a better option. Its lighter, so the head will move faster, and the tungsten will provide a better balance factor. When I would hit the ball, it would, theoretically, come off faster. When I put the tungsten in, it fixed all the issues I had with spin.

After two years of making putters, posting TikTok videos and keeping up with her studies, Calderon landed a summer internship at Callaway. She is currently in San Diego, California, at the Callaway headquarters, where she tests and reviews putters for the design team.

Once she is back on the College Station campus, she plans to advance her 3D printing putter technology using what she has learned throughout her internship. After graduation, she hopes to continue her career in golf club development while growing her TikTok page, which has over 175,000 followers and over 10.1 million likes.

Throughout my time at Texas A&M, I have never been afraid to take a chance and ask questions, she said. I realized that what I wanted to do was something I could achieve if I just kept trying. Ive played golf competitively my whole life, so its amazing to be a part of the sport in a different way.

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Texas A&M Student Shares Love Of Golf And Engineering Through Viral TikToks - Texas A&M University Today

The electric moto scene becomes even more thrilling in 2022 as established marques and startups unveil new projects. The latest player to enter the growing market is Ryvid with a futuristic model it calls the Anthem. Given it faces stiff competition from the likes of Zero Motorcycles and Harley-Davidsons LiveWire, it needs to stand out.

It ships with a removable 4.3 kWh lithium-ion battery enough to power its swingarm-mounted motor for up to 75 miles. Depending on the power outlets voltage, it can fully recharge in six to three hours. Its zero-emission powertrain can output up to 53 lb-ft of torque and allow the Anthem to hit a top speed of 75 mph.

This green two-wheeler does so as its development is backed by advanced aerospace engineering. Many assume the process just requires an electric motor in place of a petrol engine and thats about it. Nonetheless, company CEO Dong Tran and Chief product officer Mike Schumann believe they can do even better.

Both have worked on aviation platforms before and are ready to apply what they have learned to land-based motoring. Weight management not only applies to aircraft but cars and motorcycles too. Thus, Ryvids new ride touts a stainless-steel frame that only weighs 25 lbs. Even more remarkable is the Anthems total weight of only 240 lbs.

Nothing too flashy here as the construction mainly focuses on functionality. However, it does not mean the bike forgoes good looks. The metal chassis and body sport stylish cutouts to reduce mass yet retain structural integrity. It seems Ryvid intends to build the Anthem with modular characteristics as well. The Launch Edition will only see 1,000 examples available.

Images courtesy of Ryvid

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Ryvid Anthem: An Electric Moto Developed With The Help Of Aerospace Engineering - Men's Gear

IDAHO FALLS Piyush Sabharwall, a senior staff nuclear researcher at Idaho National Laboratory, has been named an Asian American Engineer of the Year for 2022. He is the sixth person from INL to earn this award.

The awards have been presented in the United States every year since 2002 as part of National Engineers Week to honor outstanding Asian American professionals in academia, public service and industry. It is hosted by the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA with sponsorship help from corporations and communities.

Over more than 17 years, Sabharwall, a native of New Delhi, has achieved recognition for his expertise in the fields of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, nuclear reactor design, and reactor safety analysis. He has led multiple research projects in these fields and contributed to many more, serving as a trusted leader for INL and its customers.

Congratulations to Dr. Sabharwall on this prestigious recognition, said Jess Gehin, INLs associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology. Its an exciting time in nuclear, and at INL were thrilled to have researchers like him pushing clean energy innovation forward.

Sabharwall earned his doctorate in nuclear engineering at University of Idaho in 2009 and joined INL around the same time. He has played a key role in building and strengthening INLs strategic partnerships with universities and collaborating with representatives of other national laboratories. His leadership has helped advance science and technology strategy for INL and DOE and to guide researchers in the public and private sectors through complex regulatory landscapes.

In mentoring new talent, Sabharwall has invited several nuclear engineering students to join him in his research at INL, guiding them forward on their career paths. He is an associate professor in Texas A&M Universitys Department of Mechanical Engineering and an adjunct professor in the University of Michigans Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences. He has served on graduate student committees for several universities.

He chaired the Idaho Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers from 2016 to 2018, during which it received ASMEs Outstanding Section Award for the first time. His involvement with the American Nuclear Society includes collaborating with ANS past president Steve Nesbit to form the Advanced Reactor Working Group.

As 2021-22 chair of the Idaho Section of the American Nuclear Society, Sabharwall supported the groups participation in the community, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen and taking part in highway cleanup projects. He served as chair of the Idaho Falls Community Tennis Association in 2014, organizing tournaments and coaching elementary school children. He has co-coached local youth soccer and baseball teams and is currently the head coach for a U-10 flag football team in Idaho Falls.

Sabharwall said he is humbled and surprised by the award. Its such an open field, full of amazing people. I figured I had a one-quarter to one percent chance of winning. He will travel to Los Angeles to accept the award at a banquet scheduled for Aug. 6.

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INL researcher named Asian American Engineer of the Year - East Idaho News

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Bacterial biofilm functionalization through Bap amyloid engineering | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - Nature.com