Portrait of Kevin Abou Chedid

Project Management · Mechanical Engineering

Kevin Abou Chedid

Mechanical engineering student at UIC with two engineering internships — HVAC and plumbing design at an MEP firm, and construction inspection on a bridge rehabilitation project.

BS Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Electrical Engineering — University of Illinois Chicago, expected May 2028.

  • 3.92GPA / 4.0
  • 2028BS Mech. Eng., Minor ECE — UIC
  • 2engineering internships
  • 10+person team led at ASME
  • 10+courses tutored
About

I have worked on two construction projects: a six-story villa in Lebanon, where I designed the HVAC and plumbing systems, and the I-80/IL-23 bridge rehabilitation in Illinois, where I inspected contractor work against plan specifications.

I've built complete system designs from scratch, produced construction-ready drawings, handled equipment pricing and purchase orders, and verified field execution against spec on both building and infrastructure projects. Alongside that, I lead a 10+ person technical team at ASME and mentor incoming engineers through SHPE.

Currently
  • 2025–nowTeam leader
    ASME, UIC
  • 2026–nowMentor
    SHPE, UIC
  • 2026–nowPeer tutor
    Engineering Learning Center, UIC
  • 2026–nowPeer learning assistant
    Math & Science Learning Center, UIC
Education

University of Illinois Chicago

BS Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Electrical Engineering
GPA 3.92 / 4.0  ·  Expected May 2028

Experience
Illinois Department of Transportation · Ottawa, IL

Project Implementation Engineering Intern

May – Aug 2026

Three months full-time on the I-80/IL-23 bridge rehabilitation — a project later nominated for IDOT's Bridge Rehabilitation Project of the Year.

IDOT temporary employee evaluation, rated Exceeds Expectations across all categories
Performance evaluation

"Kevin is a self-starter who consistently takes initiative. After completing assigned tasks, he proactively seeks out additional work and looks for other ways to contribute. He works well with others and as a team. His willingness and ability to assist and complete tasks far exceeded his position responsibilities."

  • Quality & quantity of work Exceeds
  • Punctuality & attendance Exceeds
  • Initiative & judgement Exceeds
  • Safety practices Exceeds
  • Overall evaluation Exceeds

Signed by Troy Hart, Resident Engineer · Recommended for rehire

Download full evaluation (PDF)
  • Redesigned bridge deck elevation profiles using 3 methods to improve alignment with plan specs
  • Ran yield, speed, and temperature checks on paving operations up to 3,000+ tons/day, verifying tonnage
  • Performed pre-pour dry runs and depth checks for concrete overlay, achieving accuracy within 0.0075 ft of target
  • Conducted GPS/total station surveys and built pay estimates in OpenRoads
Names SAL · Antelias, Lebanon

Mechanical Engineering Intern

Jun – Aug 2025
Letter of recommendation from Names SAL
Letter of recommendation

"Kevin demonstrated not only a solid grasp of core engineering concepts but also the ability to apply them effectively in a real-world setting."

Signed by Nabil Abujawdeh, CEO · Names SAL, MEP Engineering & Contracting

Download letter (PDF)
  • Designed a complete HVAC and plumbing system for a six-story villa — equipment schedule, pipe and vent sizing, equipment selection, and cost optimization to meet a $200,000 budget
  • Produced AutoCAD shop drawings to engineering standards for a hotel project in Faraya
  • Led equipment pricing and purchase order preparation, contributing to project cost management
  • Conducted site visits to verify installation matched engineering design specifications
Projects
Sept 2025 – present

Driveable couch — ASME R&D build

Integrated a UTV-style electrical system (lights, blinkers, horn) and installed a 212cc engine, including break-in, clutch, and throttle setup. Built the wood frame, steering, and axle assembly, and mechanically connected the engine to the axle.

Jan – May 2025

Ski drone — mechanical engineering design

Built an Arduino-powered DC motor drone designed to stall mid-air off a ramp. Assembled 3D-printed SolidWorks parts and wrote C++ code meeting project specs.

Jan – May 2026

Ferromagnet simulation — undergraduate research, The Seara Group, UIC

Built Python Monte Carlo simulations of a 16×16 lattice with 1,000,000 iterations to graph average spins, magnetism, energy, and heat capacity. Statistically found the ferromagnet critical temperature (Tc = 2.27 J/Kb), then scaled to a 64×64 lattice with 10⁹ iterations on UIC's HPC cluster.

Download simulation source (Python)
View the code
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numba
from numba import njit
from scipy.ndimage import convolve, generate_binary_structure

# 16 by 16 grid
N = 16
init_random = np.random.random((N,N))
lattice_n = np.zeros((N, N))
lattice_n[init_random>=0.75] = 1
lattice_n[init_random<0.75] = -1

init_random = np.random.random((N,N))
lattice_p = np.zeros((N, N))

lattice_p[init_random>=0.25] = 1
lattice_p[init_random<0.25] = -1


plt.imshow(lattice_p)
plt.show()

def get_energy(lattice):
    # applies the nearest neighbours summation
    kern = generate_binary_structure(2, 1)
    kern[1][1] = False
    arr = -lattice * convolve(lattice, kern, mode='constant', cval=0)
    return arr.sum()
get_energy(lattice_p)

#@numba.njit("UniTuple(f8[:], 2)(f8[:,:], i8, f8, f8)", nopython=True, nogil=True)
#def metropolis(spin_arr, times, BJ, energy):
@numba.njit(nogil=True)
def metropolis(spin_arr, times, BJ, energy):
    spin_arr = spin_arr.copy()
    net_spins = np.zeros(times-1)
    net_energy = np.zeros(times-1)
    for t in range(0,times-1):
        # 2. pick random point on array and flip spin
        x = np.random.randint(0,N)
        y = np.random.randint(0,N)
        spin_i = spin_arr[x,y] #initial spin
        spin_f = spin_i*-1 #proposed spin flip

        # compute change in energy
        E_i = 0
        E_f = 0
        if x>0:
            E_i += -spin_i*spin_arr[x-1,y]
            E_f += -spin_f*spin_arr[x-1,y]
        if x<N-1:
            E_i += -spin_i*spin_arr[x+1,y]
            E_f += -spin_f*spin_arr[x+1,y]
        if y>0:
            E_i += -spin_i*spin_arr[x,y-1]
            E_f += -spin_f*spin_arr[x,y-1]
        if y<N-1:
            E_i += -spin_i*spin_arr[x,y+1]
            E_f += -spin_f*spin_arr[x,y+1]

        # 3 / 4. change state with designated probabilities
        dE = E_f-E_i
        if (dE>0)*(np.random.random() < np.exp(-BJ*dE)):
            spin_arr[x,y]=spin_f
            energy += dE
        elif dE<=0:
            spin_arr[x,y]=spin_f
            energy += dE

        net_spins[t] = spin_arr.sum()
        net_energy[t] = energy
    return net_spins, net_energy  # Moved outside the loop

#lattice_n, repetitions, beta*J-->energry
spins, energies = metropolis(lattice_n, 1000000, 0.1, get_energy(lattice_n))

fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12,4))
ax = axes[0]
ax.plot(spins/N**2)
ax.set_xlabel('Algorithm Time Steps')
ax.set_ylabel(r'Average Spin $\bar{m}$')
ax.grid()
ax = axes[1]
ax.plot(energies)
ax.set_xlabel('Algorithm Time Steps')
ax.set_ylabel(r'Energy $E/J$')
ax.grid()
fig.tight_layout()
fig.suptitle(r'Evolution of Average Spin and Energy for $\beta J=$0.1', y=1.07, size=18)
plt.show()

def get_spin_energy(lattice, BJs):
    ms = np.zeros(len(BJs))
    E_means = np.zeros(len(BJs))
    E_stds = np.zeros(len(BJs))
    for i, bj in enumerate(BJs):
        spins, energies = metropolis(lattice, 1000000, bj, get_energy(lattice))
        ms[i] = spins[-1000000:].mean()/N**2
        E_means[i] = energies[-1000000:].mean()
        E_stds[i] = energies[-1000000:].std()
    return ms, E_means, E_stds

BJs = np.arange(0.1, 2, 0.05)
ms_n, E_means_n, E_stds_n = get_spin_energy(lattice_n, BJs)
ms_p, E_means_p, E_stds_p = get_spin_energy(lattice_p, BJs)

plt.figure(figsize=(8,5))
plt.plot(1/BJs, ms_n, 'o--', label='75% of spins started negative')
plt.plot(1/BJs, ms_p, 'o--', label='75% of spins started positive')
plt.xlabel(r'$\left(\frac{k}{J}\right)T$')
plt.ylabel(r'$\bar{m}$')
plt.legend(facecolor='white', framealpha=1)
plt.show()

plt.plot(1/BJs, E_stds_n*BJs, label='75% of spins started negative')
plt.plot(1/BJs, E_stds_p*BJs, label='75% of spins started positive')
plt.xlabel(r'$\left(\frac{k}{J}\right)T$')
plt.ylabel(r'$C_V / k^2$')
plt.legend()
plt.show()
Certifications
Google AI Essentials specialization certificate from Coursera
Google AI Essentials

Google / Coursera — September 2026

A five-course specialization developed by Google covering practical AI use: introduction to AI, maximizing productivity with AI tools, prompting technique, responsible use, and keeping current as the tools change.

Verifiable at coursera.org/verify/specialization/PAIJ92AEKR8S

Download certificate (PDF)
Hot Work: Welding, Cutting, and Brazing certificate of completion
Hot Work: Welding, Cutting & Brazing

University of Illinois Chicago — April 2026

Shop safety certification covering hot work permitting, fire watch requirements, ventilation, PPE, and safe practice for welding, cutting, and brazing operations.

Download certificate (PDF)
Teaching & Leadership
  • Sept 2025 – present Team leader — American Society of Mechanical Engineers

    Led R&D technical project meetings twice a week for planning, building, and testing. Organized fundraisers to build team budget, set up monthly socials and technical workshops, and drive board-level decisions and strategy.

  • Aug 2026 – present Mentor — Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

    Meet one-on-one with mentee biweekly to guide their professional and social development, supporting leadership growth through goal-setting, reflection, and ongoing feedback.

  • Jan 2026 – present Peer tutor — Engineering Learning Center, UIC

    Selected to tutor Strength of Materials while still enrolled in the course, based on strong academic performance. Tutor for Statics, Strength of Materials, Thermodynamics, Probability & Statistics, Financial Engineering, and MATLAB. Focus on strengthening how students approach problems rather than just getting them to an answer — average grades improved 45% in Statics and 25% in Strength of Materials.

  • Sept 2026 – present Peer Learning Assistant — Math & Science Learning Center, UIC

    Support students in MATH 181 (Calculus II) during lectures through active-learning exercises and collaborative problem solving. Hold MSLC drop-in hours for individualized help with calculus concepts and problem-solving strategies, and work with the course instructor and fellow PLAs to improve student engagement and understanding.

Skills
Design & drafting
SolidWorks
AutoCAD
OpenRoads
Analysis
MATLAB
Python
AutoFluid
Excel
Field & QA
On-site verification
GPS / total station
Safety testing
Hands-on
Arduino
Welding
Soldering
Woodworking
Languages
Arabic (native) · French (native) · English (native)
Certifications
Google AI Essentials — Google / Coursera, 2026