ABOUT ME
A little context behind the work.
A little context behind the work.
A little context behind the work.
Engineering, empathy, and improving lives.
Engineering, empathy, and improving lives.
Hi! My name is Mckenna Sachs, and I'm a junior at Duke studying mechanical engineering. I believe in engineering with empathy and designing not just for innovation’s sake, but to improve lives and make technologies more accessible and reliable. I created this site to document my adventures in engineering and share some of the cool stuff I’ve built, as well as share a bit more about me!
Hi! My name is Mckenna Sachs, and I'm a junior at Duke studying mechanical engineering. I believe in engineering with empathy and designing not just for innovation’s sake, but to improve lives and make technologies more accessible and reliable. I created this site to document my adventures in engineering and share some of the cool stuff I’ve built, as well as share a bit more about me!
Hi! My name is Mckenna Sachs, and I'm a junior at Duke studying mechanical engineering. I believe in engineering with empathy and designing not just for innovation’s sake, but to improve lives and make technologies more accessible and reliable. I created this site to document my adventures in engineering and share some of the cool stuff I’ve built, as well as share a bit more about me!
Beyond the Classroom
Beyond the Classroom
On campus at Duke, I'm the Director of Toy Modification for Project Tadpole, a member of the Society of Women Engineers and part of their conference committee, a team member in Combat Robotics, and a volunteer with FEMMES+. Sophomore year, I was part of a research project titled "Building STEM and Community Identity Through Design Thinking", where I developed a framework for evaluating a middle-school engineering experience led by Duke undergraduates. In the Fall 2025 semester, I served as a teaching assistant for Duke's "Computing for Engineers" introductory Python course, and am excited to return again for the Fall 2026 semester. I’ve always had a passion for STEM education, which manifested in high school when I founded a chapter of Girls Who Code after taking my first programming course freshman year.
During the summer after freshman year, I was a test engineering intern at Medtronic in their Ear, Nose, and Throat division. I explored a variety of engineering skills, including soldering, redlining and reading technical drawings, 3D printing, and testing. I supported the full design lifecycle, from system requirement organization to design verification testing.
The summer after my sophomore year, I worked on a couple of projects at Duke. I developed engineering lesson plans for local elementary schools, furthering my passion for community outreach and education. I also served as an undergraduate researcher in the Bertram Lab at Duke, working on replicating a testing setup for a robotic surgical needle to be used in interstitial brachytherapy for the treatment of cervical cancer. I’ve focused on hardware manufacturing and procurement, managed a detailed Bill of Materials, and assembled mechatronic components to study needle-tissue interaction.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, weightlifting, and pursuing personal projects. You can explore some of my creations on this site!
On campus at Duke, I'm the Director of Toy Modification for Project Tadpole, a member of the Society of Women Engineers and part of their conference committee, a team member in Combat Robotics, and a volunteer with FEMMES+. Sophomore year, I was part of a research project titled "Building STEM and Community Identity Through Design Thinking", where I developed a framework for evaluating a middle-school engineering experience led by Duke undergraduates. In the Fall 2025 semester, I served as a teaching assistant for Duke's "Computing for Engineers" introductory Python course, and am excited to return again for the Fall 2026 semester. I’ve always had a passion for STEM education, which manifested in high school when I founded a chapter of Girls Who Code after taking my first programming course freshman year.
During the summer after freshman year, I was a test engineering intern at Medtronic in their Ear, Nose, and Throat division. I explored a variety of engineering skills, including soldering, redlining and reading technical drawings, 3D printing, and testing. I supported the full design lifecycle, from system requirement organization to design verification testing.
The summer after my sophomore year, I worked on a couple of projects at Duke. I developed engineering lesson plans for local elementary schools, furthering my passion for community outreach and education. I also served as an undergraduate researcher in the Bertram Lab at Duke, working on replicating a testing setup for a robotic surgical needle to be used in interstitial brachytherapy for the treatment of cervical cancer. I’ve focused on hardware manufacturing and procurement, managed a detailed Bill of Materials, and assembled mechatronic components to study needle-tissue interaction.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, weightlifting, and pursuing personal projects. You can explore some of my creations on this site!
On campus at Duke, I'm the Director of Toy Modification for Project Tadpole, a member of the Society of Women Engineers and part of their conference committee, a team member in Combat Robotics, and a volunteer with FEMMES+. Sophomore year, I was part of a research project titled "Building STEM and Community Identity Through Design Thinking", where I developed a framework for evaluating a middle-school engineering experience led by Duke undergraduates. In the Fall 2025 semester, I served as a teaching assistant for Duke's "Computing for Engineers" introductory Python course, and am excited to return again for the Fall 2026 semester. I’ve always had a passion for STEM education, which manifested in high school when I founded a chapter of Girls Who Code after taking my first programming course freshman year.
During the summer after freshman year, I was a test engineering intern at Medtronic in their Ear, Nose, and Throat division. I explored a variety of engineering skills, including soldering, redlining and reading technical drawings, 3D printing, and testing. I supported the full design lifecycle, from system requirement organization to design verification testing.
The summer after my sophomore year, I worked on a couple of projects at Duke. I developed engineering lesson plans for local elementary schools, furthering my passion for community outreach and education. I also served as an undergraduate researcher in the Bertram Lab at Duke, working on replicating a testing setup for a robotic surgical needle to be used in interstitial brachytherapy for the treatment of cervical cancer. I’ve focused on hardware manufacturing and procurement, managed a detailed Bill of Materials, and assembled mechatronic components to study needle-tissue interaction.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, weightlifting, and pursuing personal projects. You can explore some of my creations on this site!
