Meet Joseph Huang, Ph.D.

Mechanical Engineer
NASA Ames Research Center

Who I Am
I am a Mechanical Engineer. I design and analyze the mechanical parts used to mount the wind tunnel models. I make sure that the mechanical parts will work and the testing will be successful. For the upcoming Wright Flyer Test in the Ames 40X80 Wind Tunnel, I designed the mechanical parts, called the roll stop, which will be able to resist the forces generated by the rolling action of the Wright Flyer during the wind-on test runs. The rolling action is the wing dipping motion which usually occurs during testing.

My Career Path

When I was in the grade school, I was very fascinated watching different airplanes flying in the sky. Those airplanes were so heavy that a question always came into my mind. How were they able to fly high in the sky and carry lots of passengers? To find answers to my puzzles, I developed interest in the mechanical design and studied mechanical engineering in college and graduate school. I have been at Ames for 11 years and have worked on numerous wind tunnel test projects. My career path turned out to be very fulfilling.

Why I Like my Job

I always felt very happy and productive when a wind tunnel test project was successfully completed. Sometimes, scope and schedule changes as well as cancellations occur. These unexpected events can cause frustration.

As a Child
During my childhood, I often watched people making mechanical pieces for equipment, including bicycles, cars, boats and model airplanes. I also read books talking about mechanical parts design.

Advice
A young person should make very effort to do the following: Visit museums; Discuss mechanical design career with parents, teachers or engineers; Get practical experience when opportunity arises.

Early Influences
My father always encouraged me to pursue my career.

My Future Goals
I plan to continue working on wind tunnel test projects and to make sure that testing will turn out to be successful, and test results are useful for research and development. I will be involved in many interesting test projects in the future, and I will certainly enjoy working on every one of them.