Mechanical engineering at Michigan Tech

Hi, I’m Nathaniel.

I like engineering projects that end with something real in front of me—a part, a working machine, or a race car ready to get back on course.

Most of my time outside class goes into Blizzard Baja. I work on the driver protection system, help lead the team as Vice President, and handle timing and communications for Winter Baja. I have also worked on industrial automation and robot tooling at Mayfair Plastics.

See my Baja worknaskiera@mtu.edu
Nathaniel Skiera standing by the Michigan Tech Husky statue
Michigan Tech, Houghton, Michigan

Main project

Driver Protection System — Nemesis

Our goal is straightforward: build a safe driver environment that fits the car, works for different drivers, can be manufactured by our team, and passes technical inspection. The details are where it gets difficult.

Blizzard Baja vehicle airborne during testing near Toivola, Michigan
Vehicle testing near Toivola, Michigan

What I worked on

Seat design, manufacturing, and cockpit integration

I helped develop the composite bucket seat and worked through how it fits with the firewall, harness, head restraint, mounting tubes, and driver envelope. A change to one part usually affects three others, so this has been as much an integration project as a seat project.

The final seat uses a molded shape taken from the previous Matador seat. We built it with a purple carbon outer layer, fiberglass through the middle, and carbon on the inside. That gave us a practical way to make a stiff, lightweight seat in-house while keeping a shape we already knew worked for drivers.

The checks I kept coming back to

  • Can drivers enter and exit cleanly?
  • Does the harness route correctly without the seat redirecting it?
  • Are the mounting points strong, accessible, and rule-compliant?
  • Can the firewall still seal the cockpit and be removed for service?
65°–90°Allowed seat-back angle from horizontal
Six mountsAt least four on the bottom and two on the back
0 to 4 in belowShoulder-belt mounting range relative to the shoulders
0.50 mm metalMinimum firewall thickness
A Baja vehicle competing at Winter Baja
Winter Baja competition

Winter Baja

I also work on the systems behind the race.

As IT Officer, I helped set up the timing loop, decoder, transponders, timing computer, Race Monitor, livestream, and radios. Before the event, that meant checking equipment and making sure transponders were reading. During the race, it meant watching the system and fixing problems quickly enough that results stayed useful.

1Vehicle transponder
2Track loop and decoder
3Timing computer and network
4Live timing and race results

This is a different kind of engineering than designing a part, but I enjoy it for the same reason: the system has to work in the real world, with limited time and no interest in excuses.

Next competition

Baja SAE Ohio

I am building this section before we leave so I know exactly what to document at competition. After Ohio, it will become a short engineering debrief with actual results, repairs, and lessons—not a gallery of twenty nearly identical paddock photos.

What I’ll be doing

  • Preparing the driver protection system for technical inspection
  • Supporting vehicle checks, repairs, and troubleshooting
  • Tracking issues that affect safety, reliability, or serviceability
  • Documenting the decisions I personally help make

What I’ll bring back

  • Inspection attempts and any changes required
  • Events completed, endurance laps, and final placement
  • Failures, root causes, and repair turnaround times
  • Clear photos of the car, the work, and the finished DPS

Teamwork

Most good engineering is not a solo project.

Baja has taught me to explain decisions, ask for help early, and stay useful when a test or repair does not go according to plan.

Blizzard Baja members working around the competition vehicle
Working through a vehicle issue during testing
FIRST Robotics team with the 2025 Lake City Event winner banner
2025 FIRST Robotics Lake City Event

A little more about me

Experience outside the car

I am interested in mechanical design, manufacturing, testing, automation, and race engineering. I learn fastest when I can move between the computer, the shop, and the actual hardware.

Vice President & IT Officer

Blizzard Baja

Team leadership, driver protection, race timing, transponders, radios, livestream, and event troubleshooting.

Automation Engineering Intern

Mayfair Plastics

Robot end-of-arm tooling, part-validation equipment, CAD, controls, and hands-on manufacturing support.

Resident Assistant

Michigan Technological University

Community leadership, communication, problem solving, and being dependable when something needs attention.

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Michigan Technological University

Coursework in mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials, MATLAB, CAD, and manufacturing.

Get in touch

If you want to talk about racing, manufacturing, or an engineering opportunity, I’d be glad to hear from you.

Email meView my résumé
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