John
Whitbread

I am a

Mechanical engineering student at Ontario Tech, minoring in nuclear.

Projects Get in Touch
Projects
01 Sept – Oct 2026 · Personal project

BWRX-300 Natural-Circulation Model & Loop Simulator

A Python model of the BWRX-300, the reactor being built at Darlington. It has no pumps, so the water moves on its own. The model finds how much flows through the core at every power level.

Written up as a formal calc report, checked with 7 tests and a hand calculation, and turned into a simulator you can run in your browser.

Educational project based on public information. Not affiliated with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy or Ontario Power Generation.

FocusThermal-hydraulicsTwo-phase flowVerification
ToolsPythonCoolProppytest
View project Try the simulator
BWRX-300 reactor vessel drawn to scale: downcomer, core, chimney and steam separators
02 Fall 2025 · Group of 6

Autonomous Walking Rickshaw

A two-legged walker built from Meccano that pulls a small rickshaw and avoids obstacles on its own. Crank-rocker legs make the stepping motion, and an Arduino reads an ultrasonic sensor to stop and back away when something is in the way.

Designed in SolidWorks, then built and refined through three rounds of testing until it walked, pulled its load and dodged obstacles reliably, for under $50 in extra parts.

FocusLinkagesMechatronicsTesting
ToolsSolidWorksArduinoMeccano
View project
Walking rickshaw prototype, side view
03 Jul 2025 – Nov 2025 · VR Mechanical Solutions

SubmitALL – Shop Drawing Workflow Packager

A Windows-based Python desktop app that packages mechanical shop drawings for consultant submission. It builds title pages and divider tabs from Word templates, imports shop PDFs with drag-and-drop tab placement in a live previewer, and exports a single, clean Package.pdf.

Cut packaging time from 30–60 minutes to 3–8 minutes per package, with consistent branding, structure and page order, and fewer resubmittals thanks to placeholder-driven templates.

RoleDeveloper
ToolsPythonWord (DOCX)PDF
FeaturesLive PDF PreviewDrag-and-Drop TabsUndo HistoryDark Mode
View project
SubmitALL main window filled in for a rooftop unit submittal
04 Feb 2025 – Mar 2025 · VR Mechanical Solutions

Lunch & Learn: Hydraulic Loops, Accessories & Pumping Arrangements

Developed and presented a hybrid Lunch & Learn, along with a mechanical design engineer (P.Eng.), for the Engineering and Construction teams (30 people) on top of my regular internship work. Covered hydronic fundamentals, loop design and reverse return, hydraulic separation and buffer tanks, variable vs. constant flow, and primary/secondary/tertiary circuit behavior.

Strengthened internal technical knowledge-sharing while building my ability to communicate mechanical design concepts clearly across multidisciplinary teams.

RolePresenter
TopicsHydronic SystemsPumping SystemsHVAC
View project
Title slide of the Lunch & Learn: Hydraulic Loops, Accessories & Pumping Arrangements
05

Python & Excel Tools for Engineering Work

I built Python scripts and Excel VBA tools for the calculations and tracking I was doing on projects.

RoleDeveloperData Analyst
ToolsPythonExcel VBAC++Lucidchart
More projects 4
Currently building
In development

Multi-Drone Formation Flight

Software for three drones to fly in formation on their own, and to regroup and finish the mission if one drops out.

Started Sep 2026
About Me

The journey
is the
reward.

John Whitbread

I'm a mechanical engineering student at Ontario Tech, minoring in Nuclear Technology. My work sits somewhere between design, code and hands-on building.

As a mechanical design intern, I sized pumps, pipes and AHUs, worked on HVAC and piping design, coordinated BIM models in Revit and Navisworks, reviewed shop drawings, and gave a Lunch & Learn on hydronic systems.

I also write software to cut out repetitive work. I built SubmitALL, a Python desktop app that took shop drawing packaging from up to an hour down to a few minutes, and I've published a Garmin watch widget.

I model in SolidWorks, AutoCAD and Revit.

In nuclear, I'm on the Fuel Handling team of the Ontario Tech Nuclear Engineering Team (OTNET), building an SMR natural-circulation model, and working through MIT's nuclear courses and CanTeach's CANDU material.

I speak English and French (DELF B1) and hold Procore certifications as a BIM Manager, Engineer and Project Manager.

Experience
Engineering
May 2024 – Sept 2025 Part-time until Jan 2026
VR Mechanical Solutions logo
VR Mechanical Solutions
Mechanical Design Engineering Intern, working under a P.Eng. design engineer
Model & data review
  • Audited the Revit plumbing model for a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility across its piping services, P&IDs, and line numbers, using DiRoots SheetLink and Revizto to check model data against the P&IDs and drawings. Flagged incomplete and invalid records, and elements assigned to the wrong P&ID series.
  • Worked with the BIM team and my P.Eng. lead to cross-reference the pharmaceutical process model in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) against the P&IDs and our Revizto model for process piping and supply lines. Found and added the missing elements, bringing all three into sync across 400,000+ BIM elements.
  • Compared the manufacturer BOM against the model export, and organized piping and valve tags in Dalux by level and room for field verification and walkdowns.
  • Checked pharmaceutical and process system designs against P&IDs, verifying ANSI/ISA 5.1 instrumentation and piping layouts for critical utilities.
Design & calculations
  • Completed 100+ pump, pipe, and AHU sizing calculations using Darcy-Weisbach and Hazen-Williams methods across 11+ commercial, educational, data center, pharmaceutical, and industrial projects, automating them in Python and Excel VBA.
  • Developed the steam plant schematic for an industrial manufacturing facility by combining consultant drawings, vendor drawings, and equipment submittals into a single as-built configuration covering boilers, deaerator, steam distribution, and condensate/feedwater systems.
  • Contributed to the design of hydronic, sanitary, steam, and process piping systems to ASME B31.1 Power Piping, ASME B31.3 Process Piping, CSA B51 and CSA B52 Mechanical Refrigeration Code.
  • Modelled and coordinated water supply and drainage piping in Revit to the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and other relevant codes.
  • Designed to ASHRAE 62.1, ASHRAE 90.1, the ASHRAE HVAC Applications Handbook, NFPA 90A, the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and LEED requirements.
  • Applied ASHRAE TC 9.9 heat transfer and HVAC strategies, including hot/cold aisle containment, liquid cooling, and free cooling, to improve data center efficiency (PUE).
  • Helped produce plumbing and mechanical/HVAC drawings for design-assist projects.
Bids & value engineering
  • Reviewed vendor-selected boilers, pumps, and deaerators against the specified equipment for compatibility and equal-or-better specs, and completed lifecycle cost analyses and bid leveling across industrial bids.
  • Validated consultant designs on targeted bids through spec review, load calculation checks, and equipment, pipe, and duct sizing, and identified RFIs and value engineering options such as lower-cost material substitutions.
  • Did fixture, drain, and trench-drain take-offs (139 fixtures, 191 drains) for a transit maintenance facility budget review.
Shop drawings & coordination
  • Reviewed 50+ shop drawing submittals, tracked RFIs in Excel logs, and ran clash detection and model accuracy checks in Revit and Navisworks.
Tools I built
  • Developed the engineering team’s standardized Bluebeam Tool Chests (10 tool sets, 157 tools) from team input and industry practice, planned the rollout with the CEO and engineering pursuits manager, and wrote the 6-page user guide.
  • Built SubmitALL, a Python desktop app that assembles shop drawing submittal packages from Word templates, cutting packaging time from 30–60 to 3–8 minutes per package.
PipingHVACBIMDesign AssistCost AnalysisValue Engineering
Other Work
Brinkman Reforestation logo
May 2026 – Jul 2026
Brinkman Reforestation Ltd
Tree Planter
Planted a full season on cutblocks in northern Ontario, piece-rate and mostly unsupervised: a few thousand seedlings a day to the foresters’ spec for species, spacing, depth and microsite, checked by random plot audits. Lived in a bush camp and worked through rain, heat, blackflies and early-season snow.
Hearst, ON
Town of Whitby logo
May 2023 – Sept 2023
Town of Whitby
Crew Leader, Summer Student – Parks Maintenance
Managed a crew of 7 summer students caring for about 840 acres of parkland: 125 parks and 75+ km of trails. Directed inspections, repairs, and enhancements to park amenities, maintained furniture, play equipment, fencing, walkways, and signage using tools and heavy machinery, and worked with residents to direct resources where each park needed them.
LeadershipOperations
WindReach Farm logo
2021 – 2022
WindReach Farms
Assistant Groundskeeper & Head Weekend Maintainer
Led mechanical and building-related maintenance across 105 acres of farm grounds and structures. Operated tractors, gators, and trucks, and worked with sandblasting, automotive, woodwork, MIG welding, sheet metal, and powered hand tools.
MechanicalFabrication
Hossack & Associates Architects logo
2020
Hossack & Associates Architects
High School Architecture Co-op – 5 Months
Worked under an Associate with 30 years of experience. Designed and revised drawings and renderings, researched materials and construction costs, and built study models in AutoCAD and SketchUp, from concept through final design.
AutoCADArchitecture
Education
Anticipated 2028
Ontario Tech University
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Co-op Stream · Minor in Nuclear Technology
Relevant minor coursework: Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals (NUCL 2240U), Nuclear Plant Operation (NUCL 4640U, in progress).
Oshawa, ON
Student Teams
2026 – Present
Ontario Tech Nuclear Engineering Team (OTNET)
Member – Fuel Handling Team
Designing and building a scaled-down CANDU Fuel Handling Machine, the system that remotely loads new fuel bundles into the reactor and removes used bundles from the fuel channels, to demonstrate the key mechanical and control principles of the real machine.
  • Create and modify components in CAD.
  • Build and integrate mechanical and electrical components: motion systems, gripping and positioning mechanisms, structure, motors and actuators, and controls.
  • Test alignment, movement, and fuel-transfer functions, then refine the prototype for safety, accuracy, and reliability.
CANDUMechatronicsCAD
Current
Clubs
General member
  • North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN), Ontario Tech Chapter
  • Canadian Nuclear Society, Ontario Tech Branch
  • ASME Ontario Tech
  • Engineers Without Borders
  • Sustainable Energy Association
North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) logo Canadian Nuclear Society logo ASME Ontario Tech logo Ontario Tech Engineers Without Borders logo
Outside the Classroom
CanTeach – CANDU Technology
Self-directed · Ongoing
  • CANDU Fuel Management CourseBen Rouben
  • Design of CANDU ReactorsSession 5 – Design of Fuel Channels
  • The Essential CANDUWm. J. Garland – Ch. 6 Thermal-Hydraulic Design, Ch. 8 Nuclear Plant Systems, Ch. 10 Instrumentation & Control, Ch. 20 Fuel Handling & Storage
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Remote learning · Aug 2024
  • MIT 22.02Introduction to Applied Nuclear Physics
  • MIT 22.05Neutron Science and Reactor Physics
EEP – Electrical Engineering Portal
Remote learning · Sept 2024 – Ongoing
  • Ultimate Electric Circuits Course for Electrical Engineers
  • PLC Ladder ProgrammingLogixPro Simulator
  • Power EngineeringGenerators, transformers, and transmission lines
Skills

Applied at work or in a project · Coursework taught and assessed · Self-study learned on my own

Flow calcs; pump, pipe & AHU sizingVR MechanicalApplied
Chilled / hot water, glycol & data center cooling (ASHRAE TC 9.9)VR MechanicalApplied
ASHRAE 90.1, 62.1VR MechanicalApplied

ASME B31.1 / B31.3 / B31.5, CSA B51 / B52 / B128.1VR MechanicalApplied
NFPA, Ontario Building CodeVR MechanicalApplied
P&ID review (ANSI/ISA 5.1), pressure / level instrumentationVR MechanicalApplied

Shop drawing review, RFI tracking, QA/QCVR MechanicalApplied
Scheduling, lifecycle cost analysis, bid levelingVR MechanicalApplied

SolidWorksRickshaw, Landing GearApplied
Revit (incl. families), Navisworks, AutoCADVR MechanicalApplied
Bluebeam, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revizto, LucidchartVR MechanicalApplied

PythonSubmitALLApplied
Excel VBAVR MechanicalApplied
Monkey CGarmin widgetApplied
FortranCANDU teaching simulatorApplied
C++Ontario TechCoursework
PLC ladder logic (LogixPro)EEPSelf-study

Reactor physics (DRAGON5)CANDU teaching simulatorApplied
Nuclear power plants & safetyNUC-115Self-study
Plant operationNUCL 4640UCoursework
CANDU systemsCanTeachSelf-study

MIG welding, sheet metal, machining, heavy equipmentWindReach Farms, Town of WhitbyApplied

Languages English · French (DELF B1)

Certifications & Awards
Engineering & Technical
  • Procore Certified: BIM Manager
    Procore Technologies · Jul 2024
    Credential ID 2hpf7otmfcgb
  • Procore Certified: Engineer
    Procore Technologies · Jul 2024
    Credential ID 7szpiqrv2sc2
  • Procore Certified: Project Manager
    Procore Technologies · May 2024
    Credential ID evaqypogxhvi
  • AutoPIPE: The Complete Piping Stress Analysis Course
    Udemy · Sep 2024
    Credential ID UC-ef4bb60b-e82b-48cc-a4de-ca2b18de69a6
  • Revit MEP Beginners to Advanced (Contractor Services)
    Udemy · In progress
  • Nuclear Facility Design Consideration (NUC-115)
    Engineering PDH · Dec 2024
  • HTS-U HVAC 101 – HVAC/R Fundamentals Training Program
    HTS · Jan – Feb 2025
    Modules 1–7 completed (14 hours)
Safety
  • Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps
    Government of Ontario · Mar 2024
  • First Aid and CPR
    Red Cross · Current
  • National Lifeguard Association (NLS) Qualification
    Red Cross · Current
  • Canadian Red Cross Lifeguard Certificate
    Red Cross · Jul 2023
Language & Awards
  • Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF), Level B1
    Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Jeunesse · Jul 2022
  • Martha Beale Memorial Junior Award

Let's build something.

connect@johnwhitbread.com LinkedIn GitHub Download resume (PDF)
John Whitbread

© 2026 John Whitbread

Built in Oshawa, Ontario. You made it to the bottom, take the rocket back up ●