FRONT ELEVATION
SCALE 1:1COLIN HENRY CROWN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING · STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Mechanical engineering student at Stanford, co-president of the Stanford Student Space Initiative, and undergraduate researcher in the NanoEnergy Lab. Joining SpaceX Starship Mechanisms in Hawthorne in June 2027. My work spans experimental hardware, aerospace structures, propulsion, and fluid diagnostics.
ABOUT
SCALE 2:1Mechanical engineering student at Stanford, focused on aerospace structures, mechanisms, and propulsion. I co-lead the Stanford Student Space Initiative, the largest engineering club at Stanford and second largest student aerospace organization in the U.S.: ~400 members across 15+ active engineering projects spanning rockets, satellites, and planetary rovers.
In the NanoEnergy Lab, I work on shock tube experiments, droplet behavior, and an automated electrospray apparatus. I own the physical apparatus and automation components, with successful electrospray demonstrated and cloud and AI integration in progress. For ME 170, I am also developing a SpinPod experiment with NASA Ames, combining rotating vessel design, optical measurements, and fluid modeling. Past work includes 737 propulsion service engineering at Boeing, structural FEA at GILLIG, and 3D printing research in the Stanford DeSimone Lab.
Before Stanford: four years at the Nueva School (4.0, SAT 1590) leading Mission Maverick Rocketry, FRC 4904, and a high‑school startup incubator. Outside of engineering: student pilot, rescue‑certified scuba diver, AIARE 1 backcountry skier, and proficient in Mandarin.
SELECTED PROJECTS
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B-07
MICROGRAVITY SPINPOD
Developing an optically accessible rotating vessel and measurement setup for a NASA Ames ME 170 project. The design pairs planar particle image velocimetry with separate particle imaging to study flow and suspension under simulated microgravity conditions. Mechanical concept and ANSYS Fluent model design are in progress.
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B-06
AUTOMATED ELECTROSPRAY APPARATUS
Built the experimental apparatus and automation components for an electrospray platform in the NanoEnergy Lab. The apparatus has produced electrospray; current work connects positioning, pump control, and high speed imaging with cloud infrastructure and an AI model for future experiments.
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B-01
IREC CRYSTALLIZATION PAYLOAD
Microgravity crystallization payload for the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition. Syringe‑fed, thermally controlled system that drives supersaturation and SAS mixing to capture nucleation during the apogee microgravity window. Passed vibration and drop testing; delivered the full structural package for flight hardware.
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B-02
TVC LANDING ROCKET TEST STAND
Instrumented structural test stand and load‑path model for a thrust‑vector‑controlled landing rocket. Structural analysis gave FoS 1.7 at 10 kN axial load while improving manufacturability over the prior iteration.
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B-03
LIQUID‑PHASE DETONATION TUBE
Detonation tube experiments on monopropellants and n‑dodecane in an argon shock tube. High‑frequency pressure diagnostics and synchronized DAQ resolve sub‑millisecond pressure rise, reaction kinetics, and detonation onset mechanisms.
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B-04
GILLIG BUS STRUCTURAL FEA
Structures intern at GILLIG. Structural and fatigue FEA on bus subsystems in HyperMesh, NX master models validated to live S‑N targets, redesigned driveshafts and high‑pressure air manifolds. DFM/DFA work projected to save $0.6M+ over three years.
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B-05
AUTONOMOUS POLAR ROVER
Mars Team flagship: lightweight chassis and thermal enclosure for an autonomous polar rover, taken from CAD and FEA through fabrication. Field‑tested at Tahoe and Lassen, with Antarctica as the long-term deployment goal.
INTERNSHIPS & RESEARCH
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JUN 2027 INCOMING
Incoming Intern · SpaceX Starship Mechanisms
Accepted an internship with Starship Mechanisms in Hawthorne, California, starting June 2027.
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SUMMER 2026
Propulsion Service Engineering Intern · Boeing
Responsible engineer on 70 in-service 737 cases. Worked on a starter air valve reliability investigation with Honeywell and structural substantiation for thrust reverser and exhaust plug repairs.
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2025 – NOW
Undergraduate Researcher · Stanford NanoEnergy Lab
Shock tube experiments, pressure diagnostics, and synchronized data acquisition for liquid phase detonation research. Building an automated electrospray platform, with ownership of the physical apparatus and automation components. Coauthor on work accepted for presentation at AIAA SciTech 2027 (Detail E).
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JUN 2025 – SEP 2025
Functional Engineering Intern · GILLIG
Structures team: fatigue FEA, NX master models, driveshaft and manifold redesigns; DFM/DFA improvements projected to save $0.6M+ over three years.
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2024 – 2025
Undergraduate Researcher · Stanford DeSimone Lab
Biocompatible 3D‑printed prototypes; expanding printable volume for 1 µm‑resolution printers. Coauthor on a Science Advances manuscript (Detail E).
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SUMMER 2023
Research Intern · UCSF Cardiac Biomechanics Lab
Aortic aneurysm biomechanics; modeled and analyzed 1,000+ cardiac CT scans, presenting weekly to the department chief.
LEADERSHIP & CLUBS
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MAR 2026 – NOW
Co‑President · Stanford Student Space Initiative
Lead the largest engineering club at Stanford, second largest student aerospace organization in the U.S.: ~400 members, 15+ projects. Selected to represent Stanford at a U.S. State Department‑funded aerospace conference in Uruguay, leading a four‑person delegation.
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2025 – 2026
M.A.R.S. Team Lead · Stanford Student Space Initiative
Grew the team from 4 to 40 people and directed three exploration programs with a ~$35K budget: polar rover, IREC payload, and benthic lander concepts.
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2025 – NOW
Student Pilot · Advantage Aviation
60+ hours and 300+ landings toward a private pilot license in a Cessna 172S G1000; solo cross‑country, VFR.
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2021 – 2024
Co‑Founder & Co‑Captain · Nueva Rocketry
Founded the school's first TARC team and grew it to 35+ members; top 5% and top 3% national finishes.
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2017 – 2024
Fabrication & Leadership · FRC Team 4904
Pneumatics specialization on a 100+ person FIRST team; 2020 regional winners, 2021–22 Chairman's Award.
PUBLICATIONS
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2027
AIAA SciTech · Accepted for Presentation
"Canonical Experiments for Shock-Induced Drag and Vaporization of Liquid Droplets." Kennedy, J., et al., including Crown, C. Accepted for the AIAA SciTech Forum 2027 liquid phase detonations session.
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2026
Science Advances · Revised Manuscript Submitted
"Segmented Projection Image Translation for Large‑Area, High‑Resolution Vat Photopolymerization." Dai, J., et al., incl. Crown, C.; DeSimone Lab. Manuscript aef7779.
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2026
Proc. Combustion Institute · Submitted
"Canonical Experiments for Shock‑Induced Drag and Vaporization of Liquid Droplets." Kennedy, J., et al., incl. Crown, C.; 41st International Symposium on Combustion, work‑in‑progress poster.
EDUCATION
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2024 – 2027
B.S. Mechanical Engineering · Stanford University
Expected June 2027. Planning a coterminal M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a target completion of June 2028. GPA 3.9 / 4.0. Large Space Structures, Building an Aerospace Startup, Fluids, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Dynamic Systems, Mechanics of Materials, Differential Equations, CS 106B (C++).
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2020 – 2024
High School Diploma · The Nueva School
4.0 unweighted GPA. SAT 1590. National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
CONTACT
SCALE 8:1- ccrown@stanford.edu
- linkedin.com/in/ccrown
- LOCATION
- Stanford, CA
NOTE 1: OPEN TO RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS AND ENGINEERING PROJECTS.
| REV | DATE | DESCRIPTION | BY |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | 2026-05-08 | INITIAL RELEASE | CC |
| A | 2026-07-02 | SPLIT DETAILS C–F; ADDED BOEING | CC |
| B | 2026-07-02 | ADDED DETAIL E PUBLICATIONS; REV'D BOEING, SSI | CC |
| C | 2026-10-24 | EXPERIENCE REFRESH; ADDED ELECTROSPRAY AND SPINPOD | CC |