Mechanical Engineering · Penn State · Class of 2026

Abdullah
Al Otaibi

I build mechanical systems that have to work in the real world: CFD tuned aerodynamics, embedded control, and hardware I can hold in my hand. Future drilling engineer at Saudi Aramco.

View Work → Download Résumé
3.84
Cumulative GPA
4.00
Major GPA
ΤΒΠ
Tau Beta Pi
Aramco
CCP Scholar
Abdullah Al Otaibi
Penn State
Abdullah Al Otaibi
01 / About

Concept to working hardware.

I'm a mechanical engineer who likes problems that sit between disciplines, and I don't consider a design finished until it actually runs.

I'm a mechanical engineering student at Penn State University Park, fully sponsored under the Saudi Aramco College Continuation Program with a drilling engineering placement waiting after graduation. My coursework and projects run across aerodynamics, mechatronics, vibrations, and manufacturing.

I'm happiest when a clean idea has to survive contact with real parts: a body shape validated in a wind tunnel, a controller tuned on real hardware, or a 3D print wired up with an Arduino and a servo. Bilingual in Arabic and English, with a long running interest in motorsport and the engineering behind it.

SolidWorksMATLAB / SimulinkArduino · C/C++ CFDWind Tunnel TestingPID / PD / FSM Control Modal Analysis3D Printing / CADLaser Engraving WoodworkingArabic · English
02 / Experience

Education & trajectory

OutlookDec 2026 →

Drilling Engineer

Saudi Aramco
Joining as a drilling engineer through the CCP sponsorship, with a long term interest in the intersection of drilling and intelligent automation.
ResearchSummer 2026

AI Driven Materials & Manufacturing Research

Penn State · Prof. Hongtao Sun (IE)
Phase 1 research experience; completed the machine learning module applying data driven methods to materials and manufacturing problems.
ProgramSummer 2026

McKinsey Forward Program

McKinsey & Company
Selected for McKinsey's professional development program focused on structured problem solving, communication, and leadership.
HonorSpring 2026

Tau Beta Pi

Engineering Honor Society
Inducted into the national engineering honor society.
ScholarshipOct 2024 to Present

Aramco CCP Scholar

Saudi Aramco
Full undergraduate sponsorship awarded to top Saudi students worldwide through the highly competitive College Continuation Program, with guaranteed engineering placement.
LeadershipAug 2024 to Feb 2025

Secretary & Event Planner

Penn State Table Tennis Club
Organized community events and recruitment with Competitive Sports staff; represented Penn State at regional tournaments.
ExperienceAug 2024 to Dec 2024

Economics Grader

Penn State Department of Economics
Graded and proctored for ECON 102 under Prof. Dave Brown; provided written feedback to students.
EducationClass of 2026

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

The Pennsylvania State University · University Park
3.84 cumulative / 4.00 major GPA. President Walker Award for a 4.00 GPA across 12 to 36 graded credits. Coursework spanning mechatronics, vibrations, design methodology, thermofluids, and manufacturing.
03 / Projects

Selected work

First prototype: lit servo and LED on a Penn State bottle Breadboard prototype with Arduino, servo and potentiometer 3D printed Nittany Lion head on stand Lighting the Nittany Lion lamp at the desk
Featured · Personal Build

Nittany Lion Lightstand

A 3D printed Nittany Lion desk lamp driven by an Arduino, a micro servo, and an LED that lights from the lion's mouth. I took it from circuit to finished desk piece, including a mid project pivot when the soldered board failed.

  • Modeled and 3D printed the lion and tiered base, then integrated the electronics into the printed body.
  • Hand soldered a custom board first; after a broken trace, rebuilt the circuit on a breadboard to recover the build.
  • Validated the servo and light mechanism on its own before committing it inside the printed lion.
3D PrintingArduinoServo ControlSolderingCADEmbedded
View Poster
Build & demo · tap to play
First prototype
Second prototype
PCB to breadboard
Mechanism test 1
Mechanism test 2
Final product
Three iterative eF1 car body designs
CFD velocity contour around the eF1 body
CFD flow field of the eF1 body, iteration 83
ME 340 · Design Methodology

eF1 Car Body Aerodynamics

Three iterative aero bodies (baseline, Alpha 1, Alpha 2) for a scaled electric race car, optimized for drag and validated against lap performance. We reached the quarterfinals out of 64 teams.

  • Modeled and refined three designs in SolidWorks targeting reduced drag at sustained high speed lap conditions.
  • Validated drag and lift through CFD and wind tunnel testing, correlated to predicted lap time improvement.
CFDSolidWorksWind TunnelAerodynamics
Wind tunnel & track · tap to play
Wind tunnel test · Design 1
Quarterfinal run
SparkFun RedBot platform with motor driver and sensors
ME 454 · Mechatronics

Autonomous RedBot Controls

Embedded control labs on a RedBot platform: wall following and precision stopping built with classical control and a finite state machine, in Arduino C++.

  • Wall following with a PD controller and an FSM variant using IR sensor feedback for closed loop tracking.
  • PID based parking and emergency braking; tuned gains across hardware units and resolved a motor wiring asymmetry through systematic debugging.
PIDPDFSMIR SensingArduino C++
Demos · tap to play
Wall following
Emergency braking
Karaoke mixer PCB with LEDs lit Populated karaoke mixer PCB in hand Soldering the karaoke mixer PCB
EE 210 · Circuit Design

Karaoke Audio Mixer

An analog audio mixer that blends a microphone with a music track for karaoke, built from prototype into a soldered custom PCB with a karaoke mode switch and volume control.

  • Designed signal blocks for tone control, volume, attenuation, and a 4 LED volume display.
  • Populated and hand soldered the PCB, then verified the mixing and gain stages on the bench.
PCB DesignAnalogOp AmpsSolderingAudio
Demo · tap to play
Mixer demo
Finished blue Batman maker figure Cut wood body parts and dowels 3D printed boots accessories Painted figure detail
Penn State Learning Factory · Maker Project

Maker Person Figure

A blue Batman figure built from scratch: dimensioned as a person model in SolidWorks, cut from scrap wood on Penn State's wood shop equipment, fitted with 3D printed accessories, and hand painted in a classic blue Batman theme.

  • Designed the figure and its proportions in SolidWorks to set the cut dimensions.
  • Cut and shaped the body from scrap lumber on Penn State wood shop equipment, joined with dowels.
  • Modeled and 3D printed accessories like boots and a helmet, then hand painted the classic blue Batman look.
SolidWorksWoodworking3D PrintingHand PaintingFabrication
Lit Ramadan LED acrylic display on its wood base
EDSGN 100 Cornerstone · Penn State Learning Factory

LED Acrylic Display

A laser engraved acrylic panel lit from below by an LED base, built at the Penn State Learning Factory. I designed a Ramadan theme to mark the season, etched it into an 8 inch acrylic square, and seated it in a routed wood base with an LED strip that backlights the artwork.

  • Created the artwork as a vector file and laser engraved it onto an 8 inch acrylic square.
  • Cut and routed a wood base with a holding slot, then fit an LED strip to backlight the design.
Laser EngravingCADWoodworkingLEDDesign
Engraving & result · tap to play
Laser engraving
Final result
04 / Contact

Let's talk engineering.

Open to internships, research, and conversations on drilling, automation, aerodynamics, and motorsport. The harder the mechanical problem, the better.

Email
aaa7601@psu.edu Phone
+1 (540) 295-5395 Résumé
Abdullah_Al_Otaibi_Resume.pdf