https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/about daily 1.0 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/cfd7ad2d-e87c-4026-9505-18fabb469fc9/View+recent+photos.jpg About - Working Toward Sustainable Design I graduated from Harvard College in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and have since been pursuing work in sustainable design and green infrastructure. I am motivated by complex problem-solving, passion for environmental protection, and a deep appreciation for beautiful design. Over the past two years, I have gained professional experience in energy auditing, energy modeling, and HVAC design, developing a strong understanding of building systems and their role in reducing environmental impact. Alongside this technical work, my background in art—including photography, painting, ceramics, and graphic design—shapes how I approach engineering challenges, encouraging a creative and holistic design process. With my background in mechanical engineering and driven by a deep commitment to environmental protection, I am drawn to sustainable design as a way to pair creative problem-solving with meaningful impact. I am now seeking graduate training to strengthen my design skills and contribute more effectively to resilient solutions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/14ebe40b-dde7-4c94-9839-bd6883b6aa92/DSC_0402.jpg About - Inspired by the Outdoors Growing up in Alaska, the outdoors shaped both my daily life and my values. I learned to ski at a young age and was fortunate to carry that passion through my time competing on Harvard’s varsity ski team. Over the years, skiing—and the many other outdoor activities I love, from biking and trail running to canoeing—became more than just hobbies; they fostered a deep connection to the landscapes that have defined my experiences and inspired my desire to see them protected. Coaching and guiding over the past five years have been especially meaningful because they allow me to share that love of the outdoors with others. Leading canoeing and hiking trips and coaching skiing taught me how to help people build confidence, develop skills, and form their own connections to outdoor spaces. While I have loved this work, it also clarified how I want to contribute most directly to environmental protection. I am drawn to sustainable design as a way to translate my appreciation for the outdoors and my love of design and problem-solving into tangible, long-term solutions that protect the environments that have given me so much. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607638148090-Y6OFDI575CM3NQV732RJ/Large+JPG-Aro+Ha_0387.jpg About https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654637989069-6WP64NUNPG98TT5OIZVA/Thesiss.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654638027118-A9QMYF4GYVP2S6WEQY90/Reactor+3D+model.png Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654656445928-ANHV021JOG7250OAI9PN/Kibuon+Map+-+June+11.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654637903836-U3M7II3FY8JKG0YDBGH9/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+3.38.07+PM.png Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654637360762-F4YXSET2UVC2VLNFFNA8/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+3.28.57+PM.png Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654897135578-UYRXT991MXVX7FIID49Q/Screen%2BShot%2B2022-06-10%2Bat%2B3.37.45%2BPM.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654637790376-5SMO42EGMI8FWRRK4UVP/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+3.36.11+PM.png Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655133004303-U4ZAHCYP4TO3BBTQN0K3/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.59.42+PM.png Portfolio https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/resume daily 0.75 2022-06-24 https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/contact daily 0.75 2022-06-08 https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/thesis daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/ed8b6400-e9d6-4441-be0b-9446b34f89b8/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+2.08.42+PM.jpg Thesis - The Running Chick-Inn From August 2021 through April 2022, I worked on my senior thesis project. The idea was to build a scaled down model of an autonomous chicken coop that would make keeping chickens in the backyard highly feasible for many Americans. I ideated, designed, prototyped, built, tested, evaluated, and presented this project, making all decisions along the way and overcoming many barriers. The project was ultimately deemed a success: the project was highlighted on the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences website (link below) and the project was given a grade of an A-. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/74b6d225-d3ad-435d-9690-83d6941e6b64/Picture1.jpg Thesis - Why is a backyard chicken coop an important topic? The Average American consumes 280 eggs/year. 380 million hens are used to produce this many eggs. Of those hens, 95% live in battery cages where they have less space than the size of a standard sheet of A2 paper. They are subjected to ammonia burns and severe respiratory illness. They are fed until they can no longer walk so they frequently die because they cannot get to water. Their beaks are removed so they don’t peck each other to death, a process that is known to be excruciatingly painful. In these living conditions, hens produce much unhealthier eggs than their pasture-raised counterparts. Caged hens produce eggs with high dosages of cholesterol and saturated fats and low quantities of vitamins and beta carotene. Unfortunately, due to the space required and other low incentives for farmers to pasture-raise hens, there hasn’t been a substantial change in living conditions. Backyard chickens have the potential to decrease the numbers of hens living in battery cages and provide Americans with much healthier eggs. With the design of a mechanism that moves hens around a yard: hens will not destroy the space, they will not need artificial feed and they will require minimal commitment from owners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654634799681-CQXVVUVSGNLOFPP351YR/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+2.46.22+PM.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654636895798-HKG9XONPRMFG89LMDBEO/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+3.19.34+PM.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654637150257-PKVKG2T090ROV0RI6YXJ/D5D5218F-9F4F-4CC9-9A05-FC9EE0DB6525.jpeg Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/8856c055-be18-43bd-aff6-a274cba55e46/drawing+of+normal+coop.jpg Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6888bff3-9922-4b09-be81-10446baea2da/2.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6f8ff65d-63c2-4a91-a7fc-b605d20da9e3/Picture1.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654635721390-FVCY6QS96DDPVX3GS1UH/Screen%2BShot%2B2022-06-07%2Bat%2B3.00.50%2BPM.jpg Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/ae691cde-cbf7-4347-86bc-0f310b1e9810/Screen+Shot+2022-06-07+at+3.02.30+PM.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/ffffcdf6-12bb-4f53-9a13-1089109bd409/arduino.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/f63168a1-77e6-4b7b-9602-e18846c641da/Picture1.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/d839406c-df00-49b6-8ddf-dc10a930bf7b/Design+Drawings.png Thesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/bb8b2b7d-5749-448a-a699-d53686cc7105/final+product.jpg Thesis https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/wastewater daily 0.75 2022-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/f9e37232-05aa-4b59-ad87-5e4c98a69f3c/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+11.43.33+AM.png Wastewater Treatment - Microbubbles are an emerging technology for molecular imaging and wastewater treatment. They have been used to remove PFAS plastics from water by “foaming” the plastics at the surface of the water using ozofractionation. The idea was that by using coatings on the outside of the bubbles, we would be able to attract plastics to the outside of the bubbles. Ultimately, by removing the bubbles from the wastewater we would also remove the conglomerated particles. The other primary abatement mechanism that was considered for this project was magnetic extraction. Magnetite is a naturally occuring iron-oxide mineral that will bond with negatively charged functional groups such as polyurethane and nylon-6 (the assigned plastics from the client). Once the magnetite and microplastics bond, a strong magnet would be used to extract the groups from the wastewater effluent. The primary problem with this solution is that it is unlikely to be fully effective on its own due to the bonding time between magnetite and plastic. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please see the full report or final presentation to BASF below. https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/joe-buddy daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/2391d6d3-6f42-4ef9-9f5b-de1dae6ceb31/Joe+Buddy.png Joe Buddy - The idea. When the temperature drops in the winter, one common approach is to drink warm beverages to keep warm. Unfortunately, these beverages frequently cool down below a desired temperature before full consumption. The purpose of this device is to monitor the temperature of a hot beverage and turn on a heating element when the temperature drops below the user’s desired temperature. The user input is digitally displayed in ºC using a dual slope converter. A PID control system is used to `control the function of the heater. I worked with a partner to design this device. We worked together on the entirety of the project, but I took the lead on the Dual Slope ADC and he took the lead on the PID controller. The Subsystems The project was divided into two main subsystems: a dual slope ADC converter and a PID controller. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655136093151-UMNSW3Y7JX81FP0N74AD/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.01.24+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655136333590-RMV8EUST0N8T4A5PKCE0/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.05.25+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655136521728-QM9RMA05HGX4RPGBBY50/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.08.31+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655136953767-ZH4Z97M78XEDDDO60O5J/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.15.43+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655136987284-UC2B5CRH1U3CVUQ3HRWR/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.16.10+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/daa63bc7-b599-4efc-9d0d-d088f8c9c508/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.20.36+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6254114e-f045-4a5d-a6e1-e25bac264970/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.21.44+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6b518fb9-6569-4767-9519-6f7cff18b3ed/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.23.10+AM.png Joe Buddy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/98e1ade5-5084-4ad3-af41-77b731d04e1b/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+10.24.34+AM.png Joe Buddy https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/recurve daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/15bff991-6385-45ee-9e4c-b2e40d085e5f/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.27.10+PM.png Recurve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654894851121-DM6FKPGONJFNZSLYVTF6/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.00.33+PM.png Recurve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654895125531-0LQVVDR7FPC7BN5NLL7R/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.05.07+PM.png Recurve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654895337686-MZ67EY6GCLKTBF77FME6/Screen%252BShot%252B2022-06-10%252Bat%252B3.07.21%252BPM.jpg Recurve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654896264584-56Z9AK384BTLYS5L3DGO/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.24.08+PM.png Recurve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1654896359747-P8H69QE28EHST2LPK3SW/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.25.39+PM.png Recurve https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/ewb daily 0.75 2022-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/ea99c929-9e01-4bc2-b21f-e0f66796ad7c/Screen+Shot+2022-06-14+at+3.01.00+PM.png EWB - The goal for a water project is to provide the source, storage, distribution and treatment of water for the community. The two alternatives for the source that were primarily considered were rainwater catchment and a system of borehole wells. The chapter sent a team in May of 2019 to assess which of these two solutions would be more feasible along with assess whether the community was invested enough to make the project feasible. During the pandemic, it was not possible to send our team to work in the village along side the community. We did get to work remotely with the community and company that was in charge of drilling to start work though. The original drilling came up short; it is not producing a high enough flow rate or replenishing rate to provide water for the entirety of the community. Currently, our chapter is looking at how to fix the well that has been drilled since the water isn’t fully clean and drilling another well to provide water for another part of the village since the village is relatively spread out. Additionally, we have been looking at using a solar powered pump for the well, but are unsure whether it makes sense to install it with the low flow rate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1f4f0ddf-6b0b-406b-a6fc-20abd54081ff/Screen+Shot+2022-06-14+at+1.45.39+PM.png EWB - Unfortunately, I never got to be a part of the on the ground implementation process. I was supposed to travel in the spring of 2020, but due to the pandemic, the trip was cancelled. I did, however, get to go to an EWB conference in Pittsburgh with chapters from all over the United States. It was really interesting to hear about projects that other chapters are working on and meet people who are all working on a collective goal, to help people meet basic needs through the engineering of smaller projects. https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/turf-wars daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/67e402c0-63f4-4a81-968c-c0029392b221/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.51.54+PM.jpg Turf Wars - The Competition. For my entry level mechanical engineering course, I worked on a semester long robotics project with a team of three other students. The provided challenge was to create a robot and mechanism that could transport different size power orbs (5” and 2.25” diameters) around/over a center wall that was 12 inches tall. The competition was designed as a face off with another team to see who could transport more orbs in a set time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/320a0fae-684c-4c95-97f0-cd851d98518f/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.07.39+PM.png Turf Wars - Make it stand out Above: the final build of the “turbo” mechanism which was designed to spin rapidly to kick power orbs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655146654239-LMA2IVSENSRYMW5VOPLM/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+11.57.39+AM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655146686359-GEW6WGW7OVYYIRA9Z00T/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+11.59.19+AM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1655146703467-LZR8FPKDM0HBHQK7PYEQ/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+11.58.35+AM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/67c28615-ae15-4dec-a40c-3349b0da60e7/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.14.44+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/b9b1daef-848e-46a2-ad8a-13ec36552665/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.18.24+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/55f853df-08ef-4203-8be9-cdd41d8fdc65/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.16.00+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/23115724-fb1e-4719-b69a-8b08c4a38d9f/belt+tensioner.PNG Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/69e17084-3759-4fb2-8a8d-3a82196a23f7/mechanism+fan.PNG Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6a0b9685-23dd-4844-8ca5-fdea53569917/side+view+robot+es51.PNG Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/153187ed-cb12-4cd5-8a09-c9fcf0ae1039/isometric%2C+es51+robot.PNG Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/816bef63-6f0d-43d2-bb6e-cf3cf9163332/robot+-+bottom.PNG Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/2b5a2d4e-cc51-42d8-b525-84c69a819a34/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.17.12+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/39940005-7649-49a3-96e1-7ec67b8f4710/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.17.31+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/86e6615a-b50b-4145-aa51-4f2e3ad7ac67/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.17.58+PM.png Turf Wars https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/9567743e-702b-492e-9589-3f83d9db3791/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+12.16.37+PM.png Turf Wars https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/design daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/06dc6c1f-87aa-481f-b26e-3f402be9e5aa/Screen+Shot+2022-06-10+at+3.59.42+PM.png Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/b04037d1-bc62-43e3-a308-88220c292eb9/Screen+Shot+2022-06-12+at+11.24.27+AM.png Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/6e3cad91-63ac-48fa-ae1e-9b477463ddaa/Screen+Shot+2022-06-11+at+1.22.48+PM.png Design https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/microfluidics daily 0.75 2022-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/880534dd-8a7a-4fec-86e2-0b5a3212ae49/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+11.26.46+AM.png Microfluidics - The four designs that were chosen are: A. T-mixer, B. Y-mixer, C. Serpentine mixer, and D. Tesla valve mixer. The T-mixer was primarily included as a control. The serpentine mixer is meant to increase the length of the channel while maintaining a small overall surface area for the mixer. The tesla valve was meant to create a back pressure through the valve to stir up the flow. The devices were manufactured with designs created on Solidworks and printed on vinyl stickers. PDMS was then used to pour over the sticker to create the device. When the devices were developed, a co-flow was established between water and FITC-dextran. A LumaScope was then used to capture concentration profile along the length of the channel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/4400d3cd-8a96-4a9f-aae4-0b30f0808395/Screen+Shot+2022-06-13+at+11.37.50+AM.png Microfluidics - Unfortunately due to many sources of error with the production of the channels, the results do not seem viable. Bubbles were introduced in the channels during curation and the channels got altered because the vinyl stickers were hard to peel. If you are interested in learning more about the creation of microfluidic devices or our results, please check out the final report for this project. https://ursulavolz.squarespace.com/photography daily 0.75 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/1767477183261-36J45HPSF65TISSIF8ER/DSC08173.png Photography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/4852de5a-a84e-41b7-95b1-a3aed22beea4/IMG_1875.jpeg Photography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/2b365c91-d5ce-4973-a17a-c2b4c0d6109c/Jack+Overhang+2.JPG Photography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f7e255455bf40e552accb/0ae6b1f2-81ec-42e0-b891-52871f8a8f10/Steph.jpeg Photography