Jorge A Hernandez

• Led pneumatic and electronics development for a 6-member team designing a 19.6 m drop-tower microgravity experiment, achieving ~2 s of free-fall testing for a ~10 kg aluminum payload.
• Designed and sized a 45 psi compressed-air Cydock-based release system, performing valve flow-rate and actuation analyses and implementing a triple-redundant safety architecture.
• Conducted FEA-based structural verification in SolidWorks to evaluate stresses under worst-case braking failure loads, validating aluminum frame integrity and critical steel interface components.
• Contributed to manufacturing, assembly, and integration of pneumatic, structural, and electronic subsystems into a fully operational drop package.

• Directed multidisciplinary conceptual design of a carrier-based, Mach 1+ supersonic strike fighter targeting a 700–1000 nmi combat radius for both air-to-air and strike mission profiles
• Integrated mission analysis, fuel fraction modeling, and payload–range trade studies in MATLAB to size internal fuel and external tanks while maintaining carrier storage constraints (≤60 ft span, ≤35 ft folded)
• Conducted propulsion architecture trade studies (single vs. twin engine) evaluating thrust-to-weight ratio, redundancy, survivability, and packaging flexibility
• Performed drag buildup and external store penalty analysis to quantify transonic performance impacts and combat radius sensitivity
• Incorporated cost-aware design philosophy aimed at “breaking” Augustine’s Law 16 by achieving next-generation capability without exceeding procurement cost benchmarks of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

• Designed a PID-controlled rotary collection system in Simulink and implemented control logic on Arduino hardware for automated sand excavation of macroplastics
• Modeled a detailed multi-part assembly in Siemens NX for rapid iteration and manufacturability validation
• Fabricated a functional prototype using 3D printing and CNC machining, integrating safety and quality assurance into all operations
• Led subsystem integration and iterative testing to verify collection capability for macroplastics buried up to 5 inches below the surface