Anna Brieden
Junior, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Anna grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, where she was able to develop a love of boats and water at a very young age. Growing up steps away from the shore of Lake St. Clair provided her the opportunity to learn and teach sailing throughout her life, leading her to explore NAME at the University of Michigan and instantly loving it.
This is Anna’s second year as an MHL intern. She is very grateful for the opportunity to continue working at the MHL and is looking forward to gaining more practical experience and learning new things that will help expand her knowledge of engineering.
During the school year, Anna is part of a NEEC (Naval Engineering Education Consortium) research group, where they research ice in the marginal ice zone.
Outside of academics, Anna is a member of the Michigan Electric Boat project team, as well as a part of the Women’s Glee Club.
Bella Olsen
Junior, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Bella is a Junior at Michigan studying Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. She graduated from East Grand Rapids High School and attended Cornell University for two years before transferring to Michigan. The marine industry had always been of interest to Bella, and transferring to Michigan gave her the opportunity to become involved in the field at the highest level.
Bella hopes to work with offshore energy or coastal engineering in her future career.
Bella has also competed in the sport of rowing for 7 years, and currently competes with Michigan’s varsity crew. Rowing helped to foster Bella’s passion for the water, as well as summers spent on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan.
Ben Stimac
Junior, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Ben is a NAME Department Alumni (BSE, MSE ’22) working in a temporary position for the summer. Employing a mix of theory and technical knowledge, he is equally capable in design, fabrication, installation, and use of a plethora of the systems in the lab. As an undergraduate, he served as the Head of Manufacturing for the Human Powered Submarine project team. As a graduate student, he performed research on Low Profile Vessels (LPVs) under Professor Matthew Collette while progressing the MHL’s use of bridal tow harnesses and motion tracking on ship models.
A native of Saline, MI, Ben grew up around Ann Arbor, spending summers on the coast of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Outside of the workplace Ben keeps himself busy with family, motorcycles, scuba diving, and animals.
He will be working for Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock, Combatant Craft Division as a civilian engineer come September.
Lyn Tran
Sophomore, College of Engineering
Lyn Tran is an incoming sophomore in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Lyn grew up in suburban Ypsilanti, just outside U of M. Lyn is thrilled to begin her sixth semester with the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory (MHL). Lyn was drawn to apply to the internship over two years ago due to the one-of-a-kind and hands-on experience in the intriguing field. It has now become her major because of her love for the work she has done and the tight-knit community she has found.
Since she joined in summer of 2021, Lyn has gained invaluable knowledge and experience in the naval architecture and marine engineering field and is looking forward to learning more. Some notable projects of hers at the MHL include deconstruction, fabrication, CAD modeling, model testing with the Aha vessel and naval vessels in arctic operations (NEEC), and data processing. Additionally, Lyn has had many opportunities at the MHL to grow her communication and teamwork soft skills. Lyn looks forward to learning more about hydroacoustics, student outreach projects, model testing, and machining this year.
Since arriving at the University of Michigan, Lyn has enjoyed working with her team members as Operations Director for the UM Electric Boat (UMEB) project team, collaborating with her peers as the Quarterdeck Honorary Society’s Program Chair, researching at the MHL as part of a Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) group, and knitting with the Michigan Knitting Club.
Mason Gonzalez-Voris
Junior, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Mason is an upcoming junior in the NAME department. He grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas on the Gulf of Mexico where his passion for ocean sustainability and interest in maritime-related technology developed and grew. He chose the NAME department because of his passion for ocean sustainability.
This is Mason’s third year as an MHL intern. Throughout his time at the MHL, he has gained valuable experience in CAD and fabrication. He has learned much about the design to fabrication process and has been part of many projects that utilize these skills. This summer Mason is excited to develop more skills related to engineering.
Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
Matthew Wang grew up in Northville, Michigan, less than half an hour away from the University of Michigan. He is interested in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering because of the different engineering challenges presented by the marine environment.
This will be Matthew’s second summer at the MHL. During his first year, he worked on several projects involving design, 3D modeling, fabrication, and conducted model testing and data processing for the Naval Vessel in Ice research project, gaining valuable experience in hands-on work and collaboration. This summer, he plans to work on more design and fabrication projects, and to learn about hydroacoustics and circuitry.
Michael Otenbaker
Junior, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Growing up just a short drive away from the University of Michigan in Grand Blanc, Michael has been intrigued with the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory for many years. During his years in middle school, Michael partnered with the MHL to learn design and create a model sailboat hull. Sailing, and the yachting industry has always been a fascination for Michael, growing up racing sailboats, both small and large, all over the Great Lakes.
At U of M, Michael finds Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering to be a fulfilling program with the aspect of design and structural engineering an important part of the department’s success. Excited to be progressing through the ranks, Michael looks forward to the summer at the MHL where he can develop his CAD and mathematical skills while working with a team of fellow Wolverine engineers. As he moves into his future as a Naval Architect, Michael utilizes every opportunity to learn about high-performance composite watercraft where he hopes to imply his learning in the likes of Botin, Judel or Farr Yacht design.
Michael enjoys his time outdoors, all while he splits his time with the University of Michigan Cycling Team, training and racing all across the country on his road bike under the Maize and Blue.
Pedro Bignotto Racchetti
Sophomore, College of Engineering
Pedro grew up in Louveira, São Paulo, Brazil and will be a sophomore in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan this fall. He has always been fascinated by transportation systems, and this interest led him to explore opportunities in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
Pedro is excited to learn more about 3D modeling with CAD software and computer fluid dynamics simulations in the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory. He is also interested in exploring and gaining experience with manufacturing tools with the machines in the MHL.
Pedro is interested in Math and Physics, participating in competitions on those subjects during the school year. He also is the Aerodynamics lead in the University of Michigan Supermileage team, designing and manufacturing outer shells for hyper-efficient vehicles.
Philemon Durel
Master in CFD, Seatech
Phil is from France and is studying at Seatech, an engineering school specialized in marine engineering located in Toulon, on the Mediterranean Sea. Because he traveled on a sailing boat for 4 years when he was younger, he is passionate about this domain and would like to work in naval architecture in the future.
This summer at the MHL, he would like to learn more about the field of naval architecture and marine engineering and gain more hands-on experience. He also wants to improve his English and to discover American culture.