Over spring break, Tyler Kim ‘20 participated in the 71st Annual Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair, which was sponsored by Quinnipiac University. He earned seven awards, including the Lockheed Martin Physical Sciences Awards, Physical Sciences Senior High – CSF Medallion, Computer Science Awards, United Technologies Corporation Awards, and more.

For his presentation, Kim researched and developed an intuitive controlling algorithm for his vehicle Orbitron. He said, “I have been building this vehicle since sophomore year, and this vehicle basically allows each wheel to be controlled independently, which enables the vehicle [to move] in a versatile manner.”

Kim expanded his vehicle project, Project Orbitron, into a guild presentation at Kent School. He explains, “I focused on developing an algorithm that will simplify all the computation to control this kind of vehicle with such maneuverability. Therefore, I used the space mouse, which is a special type of mouse that has three degrees of freedom, which is commonly used for CAD application.” By using the space mouse, he was in better control of his vehicle and was able to complete his competitions with ease.

Dr. Nadire, as Kim’s advisor for his Orbitron project, describes how he assisted him with succeeding in his project. “An advisor is somebody who always stays behind the scene. As an advisor, I don’t work for the student … I guide students on the way to solve the problem and facilitate their next step.” Kim mentions how with Dr. Nadire’s guidance, he was able to jump right into his project.

As a successful student in the Kent Pre-Engineering program, Kim offers some advice to future Kent students who would like to pursue a career in engineering, “I’m going to borrow from something Dr. Nadire told me at the beginning of the year. He says, ‘if you have some kind of project in your mind, then you should start now.’” In regards to planning, Kim says that he thought his project would be completed in three months, but, in fact, it took him over a year. So, his advice to all future project planners is, if you have any project in mind, now is the time to start!