Faculty
Dr. Xiang Zhang
Machining Shop & Makerspace Manager
Dr. Xiang completed his Ph.D. at University of Maryland where he focused on additively manufactured high temperature compact heat exchanger. He has designed, fabricated, and operated a high temperature experimental facility for testing different heat exchanger configurations at 700 Celsius. Dr. Xiang came to OSU-Cascades in December 2018 as a postdoc to work on desalination and wastewater treatment, and became a research associate in December 2019 to manage multiple research projects. Dr. Xiang is now working as Machining Shop & Makerspace manager at OSU-Cascades. His research interest includes heat transfer, thermal management, system energy saving, and advanced manufacturing.
Staff
Sandra Dennis
Lead Technologist - Applied Design and Fabrication
Sandra holds a BA in Arts, Media, and Technology from ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÜÕ¾ and has a strong background in Automotive Technology, with 13 years of experience as an ASE Master Technician. For the past five years, she served as a Research, Design, and Fabrication Technician in the Water Energy Technologies lab at OSU-Cascades, and was responsible for conceptualizing, constructing, and testing experimental setups, designing graphics and 3D models for research publications, and overseeing project progression and lab safety. In August 2024, Sandra joined the Machining Shop & Makerspace at OSU-Cascades, where she maintains the machinery and workspace while assisting students with their projects.
Gabriella Morescalchi
Lead Technical Assistant
Gabby is pursuing a degree in Energy Systems Engineering with the aim of contributing to the advancement of renewable energy options. Outside of school, Gabby enjoys being outdoors, climbing, and robotics. She has experience working with quick prototyping machines and is always happy to help others with projects at any point in the design process.
Jason Chitwood
Lead Technical Assistant
Jason is pursuing a degree in Kinesiology, hoping to use this new knowledge of the body and his engineering experience to help others. In the space, he has learned the basics of sewing, and his robotics background means he is familiar with CAD and hand tools but is still learning every day with the tools in the space. Outside of school, Jason spends a lot of time with activities like climbing, hiking, and working out, but he also has an avid passion for cars and understanding all things mechanical.
Penny Howe
Technical Assistant
Penny is pursuing a degree in Energy Systems Engineering. She is passionate about exploring renewable energy alternatives and hopes to one day build commercial solar panels or wind turbines. Outside of school, Penny enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, and reading. She has experience with 3D printing & modeling, lasering, and is learning all other machines in the space. Penny is always happy to help with any projects as well as design prototyping.
Arley Stark
Technical Assistant
Arley is pursuing a degree in Outdoor Products with minors in Sustainability and Studio Art. She hopes to work on product design with a huge focus on sustainable processes and materials. Outside of class, she loves to watch animated movies, roller skate, write postcards, and do all sorts of creative endeavors. She is experienced in sewing, rough prototyping, jewelry making, and many arts and crafts. She is passionate about design, ideation, and problem-solving and would love to help any project in any way they can.
Shaylee Smith
Technical Assistant
Shaylee is studying Engineering Science with a minor in math and is passionate about combining creativity and problem-solving. She enjoys helping others bring their ideas to life and takes pride in teaching and guiding people through the design process. Outside of school, she loves rock climbing, playing volleyball, hiking, and spending time outdoors. Whether collaborating on a team or working independently, she is excited to support others and continually grow as a designer and engineer.
Alumni
Raine Kosek
Raine is training to become a product designer for the climbing, skiing, and mountaineering sectors of the outdoor industry. As such, he has a clear understanding of workflows within the space involving every machine and can directly guide students through the design and development process. Beyond his fabrication experience, Raine has been involved in medical research, graphic design, and is an accomplished climber and backcountry skier in Oregon.
Rebekah O’Neill
Rebekah is pursuing a major in Engineering Sciences and a minor in Outdoor Products hoping to be an engineer for a company that designs products for the outdoor industry. She has experience with every machine in the space and enjoys aiding people in their design processes as well.
Brayden Morse
Brayden is pursuing a degree in Energy Systems Engineering and would love to use his degree to further efforts in the clean energy sector. He is passionate about designing / fabricating, and can aid in projects using 3D printing, scanning, engraving, sewing, or milling.
John West
Johnny is an outdoor products student and a passionate designer, fabricator and problem solver. He has many years of experience with all the tools in the space and is always excited to help anyone design or build whatever they are looking to achieve. He has spent the last few years designing, developing and living out of truck campers that he has built. He is also an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends most of his time doing sports including snowboarding, rock climbing, and river surfing. He is always approachable, supportive, and excited to help people make something they are proud of.