Hi, my name is
Yousuf Abubakr.
Mechanical Engineer
I'm a Sudani American senior, engineering student. Currently, I'm a MechE major and EECS minor at the University of California, Berkeley focused on solving problems in research and design.
About Me
Whats up! My name is Yousuf and I enjoy working on cool engineering projects. Right now, I'm enjoying my academic life as a MechE major and EECS minor - as an engineer, I really appreciate the interplay between these two subjects and the tools they give me to answer engineering questions. In my free time, you WON'T be catching me watching the latest Suns game, working on my basketball shooting form, & struggling with linear algebra proofs.
When I'm not doing any school related work, I spend most of my time working at a Berkeley Biomechanics Lab and a student-led Solar Vehicle team. My main focus these days is expanding my engineering portfolio and I would love any oppurtunity to do so.
Here are a few things I've been enjoying recently:
- Scoliotic Spine Biomechanics
- Computer Vision ML
- Assembly + Part Design
- FEA Theory
My Experience
Materials Researcher @ Cornell University
May 2023 - August 2023
- Built and analyzed efficacy of 4+ multi-scale computational biomaterial and engineering metal FEA models
- Designed and assembled fixture for nanoscale metal impact tester to improve testing efficiency and precision
Some Things I’ve Built
Featured Project
Potential Flow FEM
If 2D flow can be approximated as irrotational and incompressible, it can be described by a streamfunction Ψ(x) satisfying Laplace’s equation (Poisson’s equation with a zero forcing function). In this task, the Laplace PDE was numerically solved to compute the flow and pressure field around the NACA 5012 airfoil.
- MATLAB
Featured Project
Scoliotic Model and Overcorrection Study
Idiopathic scoliosis is a form of scoliosis where the spine develops an abnormal curve, but its cause isn’t definitive. Among adolescents, idiopathic scoliosis is among the most common spinal disorders in children, affecting up to 5% of the adolescent population and grows in prevalence with respect to age. Despite the prevalence of this disorder, standardized remedial procedures such as posterior spinal fusion (PSF) are heavily invasive and oftentimes result in a lack of mobility and growth in the long term. Anterior vertebral body tethering (AVBT) is an emerging, alternative method that relies on the body’s growth potential to naturally correct the angular deformities of the spine. This body of work uses a FEM framework to investigate how different tethering techniques affects growth plate stress distributions.
- FEBio
Other Noteworthy Projects
view the archiveGitlet
A version-control system that mimics some of the basic features of Git! This is the staple CS 61B project (at least with Professor Paul Hillfinger), of which I spent many, many (-_-) hours designing and building. This is a private repository on my Github, so if you have any questions, let me know and I can give you access.
Torque- and Muscle-Driven IVD Finite Element Study
Intervertabral discs are the "shock absorbers" of our spine, and despite the great deal of physiological flexibility they offer us, we have a very limited understanding of their biomechanics and failure mechanisms. Past experiemental and computational models have simplified loading modalities, notably, for example, the Instantaneous Center of Rotation (ICR) and its physical location in the central AF region on the disc under torque and muscle driven loads, which is not generally true. This paper takes a computational approach in challenging this assumption and in doing so predicts herniation (bulging of the AF region) that ultimately can advance our understanding of disc failure mechanics.
Excalibur Crosswinds Report
At high velocities, aerodynamic loads are hands-down the largest source of power consumption for solar vehicles, and in general, crosswinds, or winds with a component parallel and perpendicular to the line of travel, can drastically impact the aerodynamic performace of these class of vehicles. This project provides a computational framework in assessing the crosswind performance for Excalibur, Calsol's 10th generation vehicle.
What’s Next?
Get In Touch
I'm always looking for new opportunities, so if you have a question/opportunity for me or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out to me - my inbox is always open!
Say Hello