Personal Projects
Over the past six years, I’ve maintained a tradition of undertaking at least one large construction project every year. From design and logistics to impact and disassembly, I attempt to meticulously manage my project process before acquiring supplies. At Swarthmore, I also use my projects as an opportunity to become acquainted with new machinery, material, and tools. My Bell Tower project introduced me Unistrut steel and metal cutting equipment; my Regatta Raft let me take advantage of the flexible qualities of plywood sheets; my Thank You Essential Workers sign taught me the importance of efficient work setups for large-scale assembly.
Thank You Essential Workers (2020)
To publicly appreciate and bring attention to the efforts of front-line workers during the pandemic, I created a sprawling message on Swarthmore College’s lawns: “Thank You Essential Workers.” Standing 6 feet tall and stretching over 120 feet long, the PVC pipe and plywood display faced a commuter rail line heading into Philadelphia.
Recycled Regatta Raft (2022)
Using only scraps from the Bell Tower project and recycled wooden pallets, I assembled a 15-foot-long raft to compete in Swarthmore’s Crum Regatta tradition. Though not the fastest (or most watertight) vessel, the raft comfortably held three regatta racers!
Bell Tower April Fools (2022)
As a part of a long-standing tradition in the Swarthmore Engineering Department, I organized, designed, helped construct, and managed logistics for the 2022 Engineering April Fools’ Prank. This year, we surprised our campus on April 1st with five 10-foot-tall replicas of Swarthmore’s main bell tower, each one blaring announcements every fifteen minutes.
Vacuum Cannons (2021)
To help kill time at home over the pandemic, I experimented with several iterations of human-powered PVC vacuum cannons. My goal: to shoot a marshmallow as fast as possible. With the help of isolated pressure chambers and statistical analysis of results to improve performance, I achieved a maximum velocity of 0.3 Mach.
Pressure Sensing Skin (2021)
After working extensively with pressure sensors on printed circuit boards in 2020 and 2021, I devised an electrical schematic and data extrapolation algorithm for a flexible pressure sensing skin. Designed to cover the surface of a wing for wind tunnel tests, the device would be able to determine pressure at n2 locations from 2n sensors.
Cardboard Hearts (2019)
As my first large project at Swarthmore College, I surprised the campus on Valentine’s Day with over 60 small, large, and gigantic red cardboard hearts in the main dining hall. With the permission of the kitchen staff, these hearts hung from chandeliers, railings, pillars, and walls. A few hearts remain in the dining hall to this day!
Projects In The News
joshvandervelde@gmail.com | 315-261-8478
Josh Vandervelde 