Dr. Nathaniel Helminiak

A Wisconsin-born Marquette University engineer, from a science and engineering family! During his acquisition of a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, Nathaniel worked in a variety of undergraduate research positions, with a culminating 3-story treehouse design and build project. Nathaniel's Master of Science included the construction of a pneumatic accelerator, shooting materials of ~1kg up to velocities of ~1km/s. Later work within his Ph.D. utilized this same scientific instrument to characterize the equation of state and strength properties of porous quartz. At West Point work progresses on investigating high strain rate phenomenon at the West Point Ballistics Laboratory with a brand-new pneumatic accelerator: WHAT A BLAST! Topics of study include Interior, Exterior, and Terminal Ballistics. Ongoing studies explore improving modern Army systems with DEVCOM Armaments Center and assisting in the AMBITION (Additive Manufacturing and Ballistics Innovation for Technological Impact, Optimization, and Novelty) project with DEVCOM ARL. 

In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys coding, collecting Hawaiian shirts, and spending time with family.