Mechanical Engineering Student · Texas A&M University
Ryan Dennis
Honors Mechanical Engineering student, hands-on builder, and founder of RAD Builds™ — passionate about mechanical design, fabrication, and bringing creative ideas to life.
Honors Mechanical Engineering student, hands-on builder, and founder of RAD Builds™ — passionate about mechanical design, fabrication, and bringing creative ideas to life.
I am an Honors Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University with a 3.93 GPA and Minors in Physics & Mathematics. I love to be at the intersection of coursework theory, system design, and technical hands-on creation — whether that's designing CAD models in SolidWorks, fabricating with metal and polymers, or writing simulation code in Python.
Outside of academics, I'm the founder of RAD Builds™, a custom prop-building business and YouTube channel with 1,000+ subscribers where I teach others how to create high-quality props. I am also a driving member in our multidisciplinary project team creating EcoFil, a 3-phase 3D printing filament recycler from scratch, in Aggies Create. I've also studied engineering economics abroad in Greece and competed in engineering design challenges through the Texas A&M's Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
I'm driven by curiosity, craftsmanship, and the challenge of turning an idea on paper into something real.
A selection of academic, research, and personal projects spanning mechanical design, software simulation, fabrication, and creative building.
Collaborating on a 5-person team to design a closed-loop 3-phase recycling system converting 3D printing waste into reusable filament. Our three phases are: shredding, dehydration, and thermal re-extrusion, each constructed from wood, 16-gauge metal, and 3D prints. After finishing phase 1 and 2, the organization selected us to present at their expo this past spring.
Modeled and analyzed the Rankine cycle of the Ivanpah Concentrated Solar Power plant using Python and thermodynamic steam tables. Produced T–s diagrams, efficiency vs. torque curves, and parametric plots to characterize real-world cycle performance and irreversibilities. Also performed extensive research into increasing the efficiency of the cycle from 12.8% to 43% using state-of-the-art components, reheating with two turbines, and regenerative feed-water heating.
Solely responsible for 7 of 9 Phase 2 deliverables — built a complete Python rover simulation engine modeling rover dynamics ODEs, motor speed, mechanical power output, battery energy consumption, and full trajectory simulation. Also reverse-engineered and documented an undocumented prior codebase for full project handoff.
Designed, manufactured, and assembled a crank-driven mechanical toy using Chebyshev lambda linkages to convert rotational motion into controlled linear motion. Performed kinematic analysis, gear ratio optimization, and tolerance refinement; executed laser cutting and 3D printing of the final design.
Outside of coursework, I'm always building — laser-cut gifts, fabricated decorations, and one-off personal projects that keep my hands and creative instincts sharp.
Founded and operated a fabrication business building movie props (Thor's Stormbreaker, Attack on Titan ODM Gear, Iron Man helmet, Infinity Gauntlet) from foam, wood, PVC, and resin. Produced instructional YouTube videos for 1,000+ subscribers and fulfilled custom merchandise orders for 30+ clients.
Designed and laser-cut a series of custom engraved wood photo frames as gifts, each with a unique decorative border pattern (fleur-de-lis, Greek key, wave) and a high-detail photo engraved onto the wood surface.
Wound and assembled a fully functional DC motor from copper coils and a handmade wood frame, demonstrating fundamental electromagnetic and mechanical engineering principles.
Alongside my engineering work, I design logos, brand identities, and merchandise graphics from scratch. From the RAD Builds brand and YouTube channel art I started in custom apparel and event graphics. Now even in college I continue this graphic design and merchandise production aspect of my life, where I approach every design the way I approach every build — with attention to detail and a clear vision of the final product.
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College Station, TX · Expected May 2028
Relevant Coursework: Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Geometric Modeling, Numerical Methods, Materials Engineering, Engineering Economic Analysis
GPA: 3.93 Engineering Honors Dean's Honor RollWhether you’re a recruiter, collaborator, or just curious about my work — I’d love to hear from you.
