Spring 2021 Outstanding Graduate: Maxwell Umland

Max is a Mechanical Engineering senior graduating in May 2021. During his time at SDSU, he has stayed busy by being involved and holding leadership positions in Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society and Sigma Chi fraternity. Additionally, he is involved in Dr. John Kang’s research group studying warpage and porosity of parts manufactured through the additive manufacturing process of selective laser sintering. For his Senior Design project, he is on the Hydraulic Hitters team who have been tasked with producing power utilizing a thermally infused hydraulic ram pump.

Max has been an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since summer 2017. During these internships, he supported the manufacturing engineers in the machine shop and worked in the materials laboratory at JPL. In these positions, he contributed work to the Perseverance Rover, Mars Helicopter, Europa Clipper, and Insight Lander projects. After graduation, Max hopes to find employment within the defense industry and return for a master’s degree in a few years.

Max was born and raised in Pasadena, CA. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, surfing and hiking.