Chance Shepherd
Mechanical Engineering Student

About Me:

Hello!

My name is Chance Shepherd and I am finishing up my 4th semester of school, heading into my junior year at Iowa State University studying Mechanical Engineering.

I grew up in Normal, Illinois, where I attended University Highschool before heading off to Ames, Iowa, to attend Iowa State. Here in Ames, I found myself apart of many different organizations here on campus, most notably FSAE EV, and becoming a MELTS Peer Mentor.

I have been on FSAE EV (Formula) since my first semester of freshman year, slowly progressing up through the ranks and proving myself as an engineer and leader. This year, my 4th semester on my team, I ran in an extremely competitive election and landed the EV Powertrain team lead position for my FSAE EV Team. An incredibly challenging and complex role, in which I lead the design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of the electric powertrain system for Iowa State University’s first Formula SAE EV race car.

During my time in Formula, I recieved my High Voltage Vehicle Safety Training Certificate provided by Dekra. View here. As well as completing many different safety certificates and trainings, which you can access by clicking this link below by clicking the "Certificates" link.

Certificates

Additionally, I became a MELTS (Mechanical Engineering Learning Team) Peer Mentor my sophomore year. This position requires me to run a small class of about 20 students, twice a week, where I can assist and guide 1st year mechanical engineering students with coursework and any academic challenges they may face. I also help with introducing new study techniques, time management advice, and access to university resources. This class has been an incredibly enriching experience for me and the students, as I have learned countless valuable lessons on how to be an effective mentor, and leader. To prepare for this position, I took an engineering leadership 101 course.

Teaching ME 1900 is by far one of the most rewarding things I do in college. As I go into my second year teaching I aim to inspire and guide these students the best I possibly can. I have put a lot of time into curating my class to be as beneficial as possible, even rewriting curriculums and introducing new material that is shown to be so successful and beneficial that it is being implemented across all classes for all 1st year mechanical engineering students at Iowa State.

During the past spring and fall, I have had the incredible opportunity to work as a IE Co-op at RTX (Collins Aerospace) in Cedar Rapids, IA. During my time at Collins Aerospace, I had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to both manufacturing and design efforts, particularly through the use of advanced 3D printing technologies. I led the development and integration of an Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) system, coordinating cross-functional efforts to improve defect detection and overall quality assurance. My role also involved designing specialized tools such as a nozzle remover and antenna mounting fixtures to reduce operator strain and streamline complex processes. I solved several high-impact challenges, including recalibrating SCS systems to restore repeatability and alignment with stringent quality standards. In fast-paced, high-pressure scenarios, I delivered rapid engineering solutions such as precision alignment pins for chassis assembly to minimize downtime. This hands-on experience with precision tooling, fabrication, and mechanical assembly broadened my technical skillset and deepened my understanding of real-world engineering problem-solving. My time at Collins Aerospace was an incredible opportunity to prove myself as an engineer, and become acquainted with the real world environment of engineering, outside of the classroom.

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue to pursue a career in automotive, aerospace, or acoustic fields. My interest and passion for innovative vehicle performance, contributing to the next generation of aerospace technologies, or harmonizing my love for music with engineering allows me to fall in love with what I do, and allows me to become the best possible version of myself.

Outside of school and work, I love spending my time working out, climbing, and playing or listening to music. I play lots of instruments, but most notably piano and bass. At the bottom of the website you can see two of my favorite playlist I listen to on Spotify!

Check out the rest of my website for more information about me, my resume, some projects I have been working on, my youtube channel, and ways to contact me.

Thank you!

Check out my Resume

Projects/Experiences:

Formula Projects and Experiences

Click the picture of our Formula Car to check out my work and experiences on the team.

Or, click this link below to visit the page.

Link

Dobsonian Telescope

Click the picture of the mirror to check out more of my Telescope construction.

Or, click this link below to visit the page.

Link

My Website

In Decemeber of 2022 I decided that I wanted to build my own personal website entirely from the ground up. Alone in my room, I learned how to set up my website through AWS cloud services like Route 53 and S3 Bucket. Since then, I have been watching countless videos and reading articles learning how code in HTML and CSS. Additionally, very recently I have been learning JavaScript, which is what I built the date function on the bottom of my website with. For now, I am continuing to work on the website and make it better each day!

Because of the skills I learned coding, I decided to attend a datathon event my Freshman Year, where I gained valuable experience manipulating data in a competetion setting.

Check Out my Videos:

Recently I have been posting on Youtube various videos of me studying, doing projects, and educational videos. In the future, I am going to begin teaching on youtube for various topics like Calculus. But for now, it is just a display of my work.


Here you can see me coding in MATLAB on a timelapse

Click on the YouTube logo to get a link to my YouTube account. You can also find it in my contacts section of my website below.

Contact Me: