Jacob Lockspeiser
Ambition can’t wait: the phrase that defines Drexel University and entices prospective students to picture themselves on the University City campus. Students personify its message, aligning them with the university’s innovative mission. Even in a time where the world has seemingly been put on pause—much like his peers, Engineering Technology Senior Jacob Lockspeiser still embodies this notion, exemplified through this peek into the life of a College of Engineering Class of 2020 soon-to-be graduate.
“I’m currently taking three classes and working full time, so my schedule has actually stayed pretty consistent with what it would look like without quarantine. I still have to go into the office, so I wake up at 8 a.m. and work on some homework. I leave for work at around 11 a.m. and don’t get home until 11 p.m.” said Lockspeiser.
“I’ve mainly been concerned with Senior Design. I was so excited for Spring Term, to finally let other people see my project come alive, and obviously that did not happen. It completely changed,” said Lockspeiser. “I literally have my project just sitting out with wires sticking out—it’s not anywhere near done. We’re not supposed to be working on it physically. We finally got it to that point, that last couple of feet to the finish line, and now we just have to stay not moving.”
The team’s project, Portable Optical Spectrum Analyzer (POSA), tackled testing inefficiencies in the medical field. Utilizing microfluidic discs, or Lab on a Chip, the team had visions of taking this idea and making it accessible, not only as proprietary to specific companies, but as a small machine that will allow users and researchers to further refine the chip. They envision a system where groups can work together to be able to do certain types of testing along with 3D printing of the chips themselves .
While it’s disappointing to see a project halted, Lockspeiser is grateful for his professor’s encouragement to work on the technical parts that he can do remotely, primarily user interface programs and coding. One of his teammates has been creating electrical schematics and official printed circuit boards (or, PCBs) as drawings in his notebook, so that they can eventually translate this back into computer software.
Lockspeisier also conveys confidence about his future past the pandemic, “I do eventually want to start my own company,” he said. “It might be something similar to my Senior Design project, where it’s in the medical market but involves engineering as well.” As for now, he is excited to continue working full-time at Lockheed Martin as a System Engineer for Radars.
“I basically see a big system, and I learn how it works. I get enough knowledge of it in order to know the system as a whole, so that way when you have other teams doing specific tests and something goes wrong, you’re able to know whether it’s an issue on their end, or somewhere else.”