Who am I?

    My name is Evan Cooper.  I am a senior Industrial Design student at San Francisco State University, and I am studying product design.  Some of my interests include machining, technology, manufacturing techniques, and music.  If I had to describe myself in three words, they would be machinist, musician, and student.  I have been playing drums for 15 years, bass guitar for 13 years, and guitar for 8 years.  While I have always had an interest in working with my hands, my interest in manufacturing was not really sparked until 2009 when I received a set of hand tools as a gift.
 
    I began to realize the possibilities of things that I could create, and started collecting tools.  In 2011, I purchased a MIG welder and began making furniture for friends and family.  Soon, I realized that I could do much more with more tools, and purchased my first manual milling machine.  This allowed me to grow my interest in metalworking and take on new projects, and even begin to take on work.  Some of my first projects included making belt buckles for a small leather company, creating simple stamping dies and producing small sheet metal parts with them, and making other tools.  Shortly after, I discovered that manual machining was not enough for me, and I converted my manual milling machine to be a CNC milling machine.  This greatly expanded my abilities to create, but also meant that I had a lot to learn.  I had to teach myself to use various software, including Geomagic Design, Dolphin CAD/CAM, Fusion 360, and Mach3, and was lucky enough to learn to use Solidworks in the DAI program at SFSU.  Since mid-2014, I have been a machinist for Nicomods, as well as taking on other work.  After graduation, I hope to continue my own ventures and work in a machine shop.

    I am inspired by learning and positive, realistic thinking.  As Oscar Wilde says, "Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more".  People should aspire to be in charge of their own lives, be as much as they can be, and better the world around them for themselves and future generations.  I am influenced by those that I can learn from and inspire me to be a better, more knowledgeable person.

Now, I will provide three pictures that best describe my vision for my future: