On Thursday, April 2, Ariel Ferrera ’20 visited the College as part of the engineering department’s Industry Insights Speaker Series. Ferrera graduated from Vaughn with a degree in mechanical engineering and currently serves as the co-founder of Hoppion. He has extensive experience as a structural analyst and stimulation engineer. Ferrera has previously worked for several aerospace companies including NASA, Blue Origin and GE Aerospace. 

Ferrera shared his knowledge on crack growth prediction and the design values of critically loaded airframe components using finite element methods. He emphasized the importance of being the engineer who takes the extra step for safety even when under pressure. When asked how Vaughn helped get him where he is today, Ferrera praised the College’s faculty and small class sizes as where he was able to get the support he needed for success.