ME Student & Engineer — University of Michigan

Alexandre
Aarao Reis Arturi

Mechanical engineer, builder, and lifelong explorer from Brooklyn, NY. I believe engineers have a duty to serve the public — and I intend to honor that.

"Sleep is a waste of life." — My Grandpa
Alexandre Aarao Reis Arturi
BSE Mech. Eng. + Physics Minor
01

About Me

I'm a curious kid from Brooklyn who grew up wondering how things work — and never stopped asking. Engineering, to me, isn't just a career. It's a calling to understand the world and build it better.

I'm pursuing Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan because I'm drawn to the physical — to manufacturing, to energy systems, to the satisfying reality of making things with your hands. My Physics minor keeps me asking the deeper "why" behind every design decision.

Outside the classroom, I'm an extreme extrovert who paradoxically treasures quiet moments of reflection. I'm proud of my Brazilian roots and actively involved with the Brazilian Student Association on campus. When I'm not in the machine shop or the lab, you'll find me DJing, mountain biking, chasing music festivals, or reading about the cosmos.

What I bring to every team: genuine collaboration, people-first leadership, and the relentless energy of someone who believes sleep is, in fact, a waste of life.

From
Brooklyn, New York
Currently
BSE Mechanical Engineering
Physics Minor — UMich '28
Languages
English · Spanish · Portuguese
Passions
Travel Music & DJing Nature Space Mountain Biking Brazilian Heritage
02

Experiences & Competencies

Pantanal Partnership
Executive Board & Social Chair
Nov 2024 — Present · Ann Arbor, MI
Pantanal Partnership Work

Developing sustainable engineering solutions for indigenous communities in Brazil's Pantanal region — designing and fabricating an eco-incinerator prototype while building the community around the project through recruiting and outreach.

  • Design and assemble an eco-incinerator prototype with airflow-optimized combustion supporting 300+ community members
  • Fabricate physical components using band saws, mills, and angle grinders for iterative testing
  • Double team size through strategic recruiting events, socials, and networking initiatives
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Systems Thinking Ethics Global / Cultural Awareness Entrepreneurial Mindset

This project demands Systems Thinking — balancing environmental constraints, limited resources, and safety to engineer a real solution for a real community. It also required deep Global/Cultural Awareness, engaging meaningfully with indigenous Brazilian communities, and Ethics: ensuring our work served the common good rather than imposing external values.

UMich Physics Dept.
Physics Learning Assistant
Aug 2025 — Present · Ann Arbor, MI

Teaching Electricity & Magnetism to 50+ students weekly — developing customized learning strategies, structured problem-solving frameworks, and collaborating with faculty to refine instruction.

  • Assess student understanding and build individualized learning strategies for E&M concepts
  • Design problem-solving frameworks including force diagram decomposition and misconception targeting
  • Help students improve exam scores by up to 20% through structured coaching
  • Collaborate weekly with faculty to align teaching materials with course objectives
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Communication Empathy Leadership Lifelong Learning

Effective teaching is pure Communication and Empathy — I had to meet students exactly where they were, reason from their misunderstandings, and guide rather than just explain. The role also sharpened my own Lifelong Learning: you only truly understand something when you can teach it.

ME 250 — UMich
Design & Manufacturing 1
Jan 2026 — Present · Ann Arbor, MI
ME 250 Robot Design

Designing and fabricating a robotic mechanical system to complete task-based objectives in a competitive arena environment — manufacturing all components in-house and iteratively testing for performance improvements.

  • Design and fabricate a robotic mechanical system for competitive task completion
  • Manufacture custom structural and functional components in the machine shop, producing all mechanical parts excluding motors and controls
  • Apply mechanical design, prototyping, and iterative testing to improve system performance and reliability
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Creativity Risk Management Teamwork Systems Thinking

ME 250 demands constant Creativity — every design decision is a trade-off between functionality, manufacturability, and constraints. It also sharpened my Risk Management: we prototype, test, fail, and iterate under strict time pressure, learning to make decisions with incomplete information.

Nagarro Inc
Software Development Intern
Mar — Jul 2023 · New York, NY

Led a five-person engineering team building an interactive web-based chatbot to answer hundreds of NYC 311 civic service queries — developing full-stack functionality and presenting results to company stakeholders at the intern gala.

  • Led a five-person engineering team by organizing task delegation and project timelines
  • Developed an interactive chatbot capable of answering hundreds of NYC 311 civic service queries
  • Built full-stack functionality using HTML, CSS, and Java
  • Presented completed project to company stakeholders and investors at intern gala
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Leadership Communication Entrepreneurial Mindset Teamwork

This internship was my first real taste of Leadership in a professional engineering context — coordinating a team, managing timelines, and delivering under pressure. Presenting at the gala tested my Communication skills: translating technical work into a story that resonated with non-technical stakeholders.

MRacing Formula SAE
Chassis Subteam Member
Nov 2025 — Present · Ann Arbor, MI

Performing composite layup and curing for a carbon fiber monocoque, manufacturing chassis components, and interpreting engineering drawings to support structural performance and safety requirements for Michigan's Formula SAE race car.

  • Perform composite layup and curing for a carbon fiber monocoque across 10+ layups
  • Manufacture chassis components using machining and manufacturing tools
  • Interpret engineering drawings and tolerances to manufacture parts for vehicle frame assembly
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Grit / Resilience Systems Thinking Creativity Teamwork

MRacing demands Grit — long hours in the shop, precision work, and unforgiving deadlines. It also deepened my Systems Thinking: every chassis component affects weight distribution, structural integrity, and overall vehicle dynamics. You can't just focus on the part in your hands; you have to see how it fits into the bigger machine.

ENGR 100 — UMich
Team Lead, Calculator Project
Aug — Dec 2024 · Ann Arbor, MI
ENGR 100 Calculator

Led a four-student team in designing and constructing a fully functional four-operation calculator using only discrete components — no integrated circuits allowed — coordinating task delegation and delivering a working hardware prototype under strict time constraints.

  • Led a four-student engineering team in designing and building a four-operation calculator from discrete components
  • Designed and implemented transistor-based logic circuits to achieve reliable arithmetic functionality
  • Coordinated task delegation and project milestones to deliver a working hardware prototype within course deadlines
Engineering Competencies Demonstrated
Leadership Creativity Risk Management Teamwork

ENGR 100 was my first formal Leadership role in engineering — managing a team, delegating tasks, and keeping everyone aligned on a shared goal. The constraints (no ICs, tight deadlines) demanded Creativity and constant Risk Management: we had to test aggressively, fail fast, and adapt on the fly.

03

Honors Plan Development

The Michigan Engineering Competencies framework guides how I track and develop my growth as an engineer. Below is my self-assessment across all twelve competencies, alongside two SMART goals anchoring my Honors journey.

Communication
Exemplary
Interpersonal skills are my strongest asset as an engineer. I believe I'm equally effective as an active listener and as someone who clearly expresses opinions and ideas.
Get involved in more team projects across different roles to broaden my communication breadth beyond what I've already experienced.
Creativity
Developing
My STEM-heavy education often emphasized a single 'right answer,' which has shaped — and somewhat constrained — how I think creatively.
Expand creative outlets beyond engineering: through music production, writing, and exploring artistic expression to build a more generative mindset.
Empathy
Proficient
Growing up with a mother who is a therapist deeply shaped my capacity to listen and understand. I believe I give good advice because I genuinely try to inhabit someone else's perspective.
Go beyond listening and advice — show up for people consistently, even long after their hardest moments have passed and others have moved on.
Entrepreneurial Mindset
Developing
Entrepreneurship has never been a strong pull for me — the stress and uncertainty have historically outweighed the appeal.
Surround myself with people who have entrepreneurial tendencies. Let their energy and thinking gradually reshape my own comfort with ambiguity and innovation.
Ethics
Exemplary
This is what defines an engineer to me. Being 'people first' is the foundation of everything — what good is talent and knowledge if it isn't used to genuinely help others?
Continue attending ethics in engineering workshops, and apply those principles directly to my work with indigenous communities in Brazil building the eco-incinerator.
Global / Cultural Awareness
Exemplary
Being of international descent and having traveled extensively — including abroad — has given me immersive, firsthand exposure to diverse cultures and perspectives.
Continue learning new languages as a form of cultural bridge-building. French is next on the list.
Grit / Resilience / Persistence
Exemplary
When it comes to resilience, I excel. No amount of needed sleep justifies not mastering the material the night before. It is important to persist the cold night to survive the morning.
Deepen involvement across project teams and communities at Michigan — without letting coursework become the ceiling of what I pursue.
Leadership
Proficient
Leadership runs deeper than engineering for me. I was named football team captain my senior year of high school and have never shied away from positions where my voice and presence are needed.
As I develop seniority in project teams like Pantanal Partnership and MRacing, I need to prioritize those leadership opportunities and grow into them intentionally.
Lifelong Learning
Proficient
Curiosity has always driven me — from wondering how things work as a kid to pursuing a Physics minor simply because I want to understand the deeper 'why.' I actively seek out knowledge beyond what's required.
Pursue research opportunities and interdisciplinary learning beyond my coursework. Make a habit of reading, exploring, and connecting dots across fields.
Risk Management
Developing
I'm still early in my experience making high-stakes engineering decisions under uncertainty. I've led teams and managed projects, but formal risk assessment is an area I'm actively building.
Engage more deeply with design and project work where I must evaluate trade-offs under constraints — treating failure and iteration as structured learning opportunities.
Systems Thinking
Proficient
Work like the Pantanal eco-incinerator and Formula SAE chassis has pushed me to think across scales — from individual components to community-level impact. I've learned to zoom in and zoom out simultaneously.
Tackle more complex, multi-variable design problems — especially in energy and manufacturing contexts — to sharpen my ability to model and reason about full systems.
Teamwork
Exemplary
I thrive in teams. From leading a four-person engineering team to growing Pantanal Partnership through community-building, I know how to leverage diverse strengths and foster genuine collaboration.
Step into team roles that challenge my comfort zone — specifically roles that require conflict navigation and cross-disciplinary coordination at a larger scale.

SMART Goals

Goal 01
Deliver a Field-Tested Prototype for the Pantanal Community
By May 2026, I will complete and document a fully field-tested eco-incinerator prototype with the Pantanal Partnership — recording the full design process, materials, and community feedback — and present the results at one campus engineering showcase or Honors event.
Goal 02
Build Technical Depth in Energy Systems
By December 2026, I will complete one upper-level course or research experience focused on energy systems or thermodynamics, and connect those learnings to a tangible deliverable — a written reflection, project contribution, or co-authored report — that I can add to this portfolio.

Focus Area Reflection

My Focus Area Rankings
1. Research
2. Entrepreneurship
3. Design
4. Global Business/Operations
5. Public Service
Why Research?
I am most interested in research because I feel it's the best and most effective way to explore the most complex engineering problems in depth and get hands-on experience contributing new ideas and solutions. As an ME student interested in energy systems, materials, and manufacturing, research gives me the opportunity to apply physics and engineering principles to real problems while learning new tools and methods. I also have an interest in pursuing graduate school in the future, so gaining research experience would greatly benefit me in the long run.
Capstone Project Ideas
I'm exploring two potential directions for my Honors Capstone:
Robotic Locomotion & Manipulation Research
I recently received an offer to work as an undergraduate research assistant at New York University this summer on a project titled "Robotic Locomotion and Manipulation: Stability." This involves hands-on work in various software environments as well as actual experimentation — a promising opportunity that could fulfill my capstone requirement while building research skills I'll need for graduate school.
AI-Driven Energy Efficiency Startup
A colleague and I are working to launch a business in the energy industry that addresses the energy crisis by providing large corporations with AI-driven energy usage predictions. The goal is to prevent excess consumption and improve energy efficiency at scale — aligning with the entrepreneurship focus area while diving deep into my core interests in energy systems.
04

Get In Touch

Whether it's a project, a question, or just to connect — I'd love to hear from you. I'm always open to collaboration, internship conversations, and new ideas.

Send a Message