Ryan Fagerstrom

RyanFagerstrom

Mechanical engineering, University of Pittsburgh Robotics, automation, and embedded systems Pittsburgh, PA
WelcomeWho I am and what I build.

Mechanical engineering, pointed at things that move.

I'm a B.S. Mechanical Engineering student at Pitt's Swanson School, working on robotics and automation — quadruped gaits in ROS 2, a rover modeled in SolidWorks and cut in the makerspace, and the Python and C++ that ties it together.

Prior to attending the University of Pittsburgh, I completed introductory coursework in calculus, chemistry, physics, and programming at Robert Morris University. These foundational classes sparked my interest in robotics and mechanical design, ultimately motivating my transfer to Pitt to further build upon this academic groundwork.

See the projects Links
Ryan Fagerstrom
ProjectsCoursework, club builds, and things I wanted to exist.

Robotic dog

Autonomous navigation on a PuppyPi quadruped

  • Implementing ROS 2 and Python on a PuppyPi quadruped for autonomous navigation.
  • Developing navigation pathways and debugging system behavior alongside a robotics team.
ROS 2PythonQuadruped kinematics
ContextRobotics & Automation Society
DatesAug 2026 — present
StatusIn progress

Mock moon rover

Obstacle-crossing rover with a payload

  • Designing and fabricating a rover that traverses obstacles while carrying a load.
  • Modeling components in SolidWorks and manufacturing them with makerspace equipment.
SolidWorksFabricationMechanism design
step
ContextIntro to Mechanical Design
DatesAug 2026 — present
StatusIn progress

Hospital records system

Console application in C++

  • Built a console-based hospital management system for doctor, patient, and surgery records.
  • Implemented file I/O across three data files, using parallel arrays to load, modify, and save records.
  • Added record creation, deletion, and editing, plus generated reports on patient–doctor relationships and surgery histories.
C++File I/OData structures
patients doctors surgery
ContextAcademic project
DatesAug — Dec 2025
StatusComplete

ASCII art generator

Python desktop app for turning images into text

  • Built a Pillow and Tkinter desktop app that converts PNG and JPG images into configurable ASCII art.
  • Handles grayscale mapping, image resizing, and transparency, with drag-and-drop input and automatic .txt output.
PythonPillowTkinter
@%+:.
ContextPersonal project
DatesMay 2026 — present
StatusMaintained

Spreadsheet sorting utility

Python tool for messy date-coded rows

  • Built a Pandas and OpenPyXL utility that parses year and letter date suffixes and performs a stable row sort.
  • Catches invalid date entries instead of dropping them, and exports the sorted result straight to .xlsx.
PythonPandasOpenPyXL
unsorted sorted
ContextPersonal project
DatesMay 2026 — present
StatusMaintained
ExperienceWhere I've worked on real engineering documentation and hardware.

Tenova Inc.

Engineering Document Specialist
Summer 2026
  • Audited and organized more than 20,000 engineering documents in Excel.
  • Reviewed engineering drawings and bills of materials for accuracy and compliance.
  • Studied industrial furnace systems and steelmaking processes on technical visits to several operating steel mills.
  • Earned OSHA 10-Hour General Industry certification.
20,000+documents audited
OSHA‑10General Industry
Steel millsfurnace systems, on site
EducationPitt, and Robert Morris before that.

University of Pittsburgh

Aug 2026 — present · Pittsburgh, PA

Swanson School of Engineering. B.S. Mechanical Engineering, in progress. Member of the Robotics and Automation Society.

3.3cumulative GPA
3.3transfer GPA

Coursework: Mechanics of Materials; Materials and Structural Properties; Linear Algebra; Calculus III.

Robert Morris University

Moon Township, PA

Completed introductory engineering coursework, then transferred to Pitt.

Coursework: calculus, chemistry, physics, and programming.

SkillsTools I use week to week.
ProgrammingPython, C++
EngineeringSolidWorks, MATLAB, ROS 2
SoftwareVisual Studio, VS Code, Excel, PowerPoint
LibrariesPandas, OpenPyXL, Pillow, Tkinter
CertificationsOSHA 10-Hour General Industry
InterestsRobotics, automation, embedded and integrated systems, volleyball