My name is Nolan Prince and I was born and raised in Massachusetts. As someone who always loved learning what made everything tic, Duke’s engineering program really stood out to me as it emphasized lab and hands-on work more than just the basic seminar and classwork. I am currently a senior studying Mechanical Engineering with a certificate in both Aerospace Engineering and in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I chose mechanical engineering because I loved exploring the world through a lens of how everything works together. From a complex device that sits in your pocket to cars, trains, and planes I loved learning about all the different ways items we tend not to think about work to make our lives easier. I pursued the aerospace certificate was brought on by an interest in planes and almost anything that flies. The I&E certificate sparked my interest while here as I always though being able to take my fascination in engineering and learn how to create a business out of the a product I might design.
The courses I chose while here at Duke while pursuing my I&E certificate helped me gain a much greater understanding not only on how to create consumer products but also on how those products, but also how to evaluate market to better create a product to match it. The classes I took while here took a deep focus in exploring product market placement, and how to create a product to better provide assistance to those who use it. This will help me in the long term as it allows me to better understand the path I might need to take when I create my own product.
My current and most recent entrepreneurial experience has been one that I discovered through my time working at an internship. While there I helped an a microscope imaging lab design and build microscopes that could better image the tiny aquatic specimen that the marine lab brought in. This experience showed me how despite the resources at hand at this lab many times they lacked the functionality to image in the manner that they desired However a main issue with some of these specimen is that they have difficulty surviving outside of their natural habitat. As such me and a group that I worked with while at the internship have sought to create a high-resolution, robust, and portable microscope that can adequately image these micron length creatures within the field.
My favorite hobby that I have picked up while here at Duke has been my time on the Ultimate frisbee team. Not only have the people I meet shaped the time that I have spent here, but the sport itself has been awesome to learn. The community around the sport has been especially welcoming as it has a strong base within the research triangle, and has connected me with awesome people not only within Duke but also from around the community. One thing that people should know is that I have a strong love for food. While at Duke a friend and I have made an effort and tried every sandwich that is sold on Food points here, and created a ranking for all of them. Further we have also made a large amount of efforts to eat at as many Durham restaurants as possible while here.
Lastly the impact I hope to have is to be able to create a product that can create an easier life for those who use it. Not only for a group that use it but also for the betterment of humanity by having the product be either environmentally healthy or for it to better impact the world in a way that many can benefit from.
