ABOUT US

The Shop staff and a set of highly trained students provides training in shop operations to the Olin Community before anybody can use the machine shop equipment. The Olin shop is staffed by four full-time professionals, who offer short courses and semester-long courses in machine shop operations to provide students with working knowledge and skills to safely and effectively operate machine shop equipment. Shop facilities are used to support a variety of required and elective courses (e.g., Design Nature, Principles of Engineering, Mechanical Design, Materials Science, Engineering Polymers, Sustainable Design, Mechanics of Solids and Structures, SCOPE), as well as independent student projects, faculty research activities, student club activities.

Daniela Faas, Ph.D.

Daniela is the Director of Fabrication Operations and an Associate Professor at Olin College of Engineering. A visionary leader in engineering pedagogy, Daniela has dedicated her career to "breaking barriers down to build students up," transforming traditional machine shops into radically accessible, community-centered hubs for innovation. Since joining Olin in 2016, she has spearheaded the modernization of the college's makerspace ecosystem. Her work focuses on democratizing technical expertise, utilizing multimodal training and immersive digital fabrication to ensure that all students—regardless of their prior experience—can master the tools of modern engineering. Daniela is widely recognized for her ability to maintain a "physical connection to making" in the classroom, even under challenging constraints.

Coby Unger

Coby is the Senior Shop Manager and Instructor of Fabrication at Olin College of Engineering. A designer and educator who lives at the intersection of “dirty hands and high-tech tools,” Coby is dedicated to making the machine shop a welcoming, accessible environment where students don’t just build parts, but build their identities as makers. Coby’s approach to fabrication is rooted in utility and longevity. In his Fundamentals of Machine Shop Operation (FOMSO) course, he focuses on the creation of high-quality machinist tools—items students can use and maintain throughout their entire professional careers. He is an avid woodworker, a practitioner of custom tailoring (often sewing his own shirts), and an aspiring garlic farmer. He is frequently accompanied by his loyal canine companion, Muddy.

Dyllan Nguyen

Dyllan is the Senior Fabrication Specialist and Instructor at Olin College of Engineering, where they work at the vibrant intersection of art, design, education, and advocacy. Known for “sculpting the future” of Olin’s makerspaces, Dyllan bridges the gap between technical engineering skills and creative self-discovery. Dyllan’s work focuses on the psychological and social relationships between people and the objects they create. They are a staunch advocate for accessibility in technical spaces, striving to transform traditionally homogeneous shop environments into inclusive hubs for experimentation. Recognizing making and using tools to be foundational to humans as a species Dyllan strives to support access to making experiences across materials and processes for everyone. Their teaching philosophy emphasizes building agency through doing and “leaning into mistakes,” viewing them not as failures but as essential features of the creative process.

Jordan Spring

Jordan is a Fabrication Specialist and Instructor at Olin College of Engineering. As an Olin alumnus (Class of 2020), Jordan brings a "full circle" perspective to the shop, transitioning from a student project-builder to a professional mentor dedicated to demystifying the manufacturing world for the next generation of engineers. Jordan’s work is centered on expanding the definition of who "belongs" in a machine shop. Their goal is to lower the barrier to entry for technical fabrication, ensuring that Olin’s shop is a resource for all students, regardless of their prior experience with a drill press or a lathe.

Christian de Weck

Christian is a Fabrication Specialist and Instructor at Olin College of Engineering. A skilled maker with a deep-seated enthusiasm for the engineering process, Christian plays a pivotal role in maintaining Olin’s culture of hands-on, iterative design. Christian joined the Olin shop team with a robust technical background, having previously spent time at MIT. His experience in high-level research and fabrication environments allows him to bridge the gap between complex engineering theory and practical, shop-floor application.