Voiland CollegeVoiland College Student SuccessStudent SpotlightsMeet Me Monday: Quinn Morley

Student Spotlight:
Quinn Morley

WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture offers degree programs at five locations around the state of Washington. For Gig Harbor resident Quinn Morley, attending WSU Bremerton at Olympic College made sense.

A former Boeing mechanic with a passion for aerospace, 3D printing, and welding, Morley transferred to WSU Bremerton after attaining associate degrees in mechanical engineering, mathematics, and welding technology from Olympic College.

Couple posing for a photo by a lake.
Quinn and his fiancée Melissa.
  • Major: Mechanical Engineering
  • Expected Date of Graduation: 2022
  • Interests: Additive Manufacturing, Computer-Aided Design, Planetary Science

What made you decide to attend WSU Bremerton at Olympic College?

WSU is an incredible choice for mechanical engineering students. The program offers students a very high value for a competitive tuition cost. Mechanical engineers are the key to unlocking the future of global industry; the state of Washington understands this and is supporting WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture to make sure we can meet the growing demand for this complex and rewarding skillset.

How has attending WSU benefitted you?

WSU Global Campus was “COVID ready” from the start, and when life returns to normal there are amazing facilities to return to at WSU Bremerton at Olympic College. The strength of the WSU community has surprised me, and the “Cougs Help Cougs” spirit has been inspirational during these challenging times.

What advice do you have for fellow or prospective students? How can they succeed during COVID-19?

I recommend students set their life up to enable academic success, which could include building a support network; setting up a good home learning environment; and leaving space in your schedule so you can add extra study time when there is a topic that you feel challenged by.

What has been your favorite class?

Fluid Mechanics has been a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to use the wind tunnel in Bremerton to explore concepts like boundary layer separation and turbulence at high Reynolds numbers in person.

What are you working on now, and what is next?

This summer I formed a space startup called Planet Enterprises in order to submit a proposal to the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program – abbreviated NIAC. This program solicits bleeding-edge technology proposals from the general public, and encourages submissions from early-career Principal Investigators. I recruited another WSU Bremerton student, Tom Bowen, to help me with the project. Tom’s electronics experience has already been invaluable, and if our proposal is selected for a feasibility study award, Tom will play a key role in the project as Co-Investigator. The proposal focuses on a novel automated drilling technology, in the context of a Mars South Pole drilling expedition using a Curiosity-class Rover. In this concept, the rover will deploy drilling robots one at a time that can drive up and down the borehole. This way depth can be achieved without relying on cables and tethers. The one bright spot in 2020 has been the growing space industry, and I’m very excited to play a part in that.

Feb 24, 2021 Update:

Our Autonomous Robotic Demonstrator for Deep Drilling concept was one of 16 proposals that was awarded funding by NASA. Read more on NASA’s website: Futuristic Space Technology Concepts Selected by NASA for Initial Study.

Art of a Mars rover with drilling equipment that descends into the surface.
Concept art of Quinn’s Mars deep drilling project.