Spring 2019 Outstanding Graduate: Benjamin Bettencourt

Benjamin Bettencourt is a mechanical engineering senior graduating in May 2019. He grew up in the small town of Newman, CA located in the San Joaquin Valley and relocated to San Diego to attend college. During his years at SDSU, he has been a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers since 2016 and was involved with Aztec Electric Racing during his sophomore year. For his senior project, Benjamin and his team members, known as Archimedes’ Crew, are building a custom 3D-printed quadcopter designed to house a crossband repeater that will utilize UHF and VHF frequencies. This prototype system is designed to serve as a rapidly deployable unmanned aerial system with onboard components to allow longdistance radio communication during emergency situations.

Outside of university, Benjamin began interning at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems during Summer 2018 and has been continuing work part-time during his senior year. He primarily works as a design engineer for the photonics mechanical engineering group. His work pertains to the mechanical design of components involved in optical layouts, high-energy lasers, and thermal management systems. He has accepted an offer with General Atomics and will start full-time shortly after graduation. He plans to return to SDSU within the next few years to obtain a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering while continuing to work in the defense and aerospace industry.

On another note, one of Benjamin’s favorite hobbies outside of school is attending escape rooms with friends and family. He feels that they are a great way to test your knowledge and ability to think creatively, clearly and quickly in a stressful environment.