
Meet the crew. We don't bite. Honestly.
Daniel Braunstein – Senior Lecturer, Director
Daniel Braunstein is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Pappalardo Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories, where he teaches in the fields of Product Development, Measurement and Instrumentation, Mechanical Design and Manufacturing.
Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Braunstein was a Principal and Director of Mechanical Engineering at Continuum, a global innovation consultancy, where he led projects in the consumer, industrial, and medical fields. His area of expertise is in early-phase product strategy, design, and technical development.
Dr. Braunstein received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is obsessed with wooden boats, antique marine engines, sailing, and cool trees.Bill Cormier - Project Technician
After completing trade school, Bill Cormier was employed by the electronics company, EGG, in Salem MA as a machinist in the model shop. Following EGG, Bill worked at Sylvania lighting company where he was assigned to a design group developing new technologies for high speed production plants worldwide, gaining a specialty with indexing transmissions and adaptive pressing devices. Bill joined MIT in 2003 in the central machine shop, later became a maintenance mechanic with the campus co-generation power plant for 2 and a half years, and then returned to central machine shop. Bill joined the Pappalardo Lab in 2011, applying his wealth of industrial experience to help students with hands-on aspects of mechanical engineering. We are particularly fond of this picture. He is really quite friendly. Bill has been the youth hockey head coach in Marblehead for 14 years, a youth baseball manager for 12 years, and is currently a USA certified baseball umpire.
Steve Banzaert (MIT '98) – Technical Instructor
Steve Banzaert runs the Pappalardo electronics lab and is generally available to help with electrical hardware and software issues. Before coming to the mechanical engineering department, Steve was a professor of electro-mechanics at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and also was an instructor at the MIT Edgerton Center. In his copious spare time, Steve is a professional trumpet player, is an artist-in-residence at the Boston Conservatory, and for many years served as chamber music faculty at Tanglewood.
Steve Haberek – Senior Project Technician, Acting Supervisor
Steve's MIT career began in 1994 working for the Laboratory for Nuclear science as a Welding Specialist. Prior to MIT, Steve worked at a variety of manufacturing facilities, such as the Turbine Division of General Electric as a heat test engineer, and at Merlin, the first titanium bicycle manufacturer. Personal projects included designing and building two homes, and hobbies include motorcycling, hiking, fishing, skiing, playing hockey, watching birds or any wild animals, like Bill. Steve consulted with the PBS television show Design Squad and worked on several Myth Buster challenges including building a Myth Busters test site at his home. Serving as Pappalardo Lab acting supervisor, his duties include coordinating daily lab activities, course preparation, instruction, lab safety, machine training, machine maintenance, and assisting students with design and fabrication.
Tasker Smith – Technical Instructor
Tasker Smith joined the Pappalardo Team in January, 2014. His 20 year professional career has spanned multiple industries including special effects for film and television, toy design, rapid prototyping, and most recently as a mechanical prototyping specialist for the medical and consumer products industries. He brings with him a passion for iterative development and collaborative work spaces.
Scott Spence – Senior Project Technician
Lets see, After graduating N E tech in 1980 for welding and fabrication, Worked at GE aircraft division till 1990. Next ten years included Merlin Metal Works, RHYGIN bicycles and Seven Cycles. Fabricating and welding bike frames out of titanium, stainless, aluminum and chromoly steel. Next 20 years at MIT worked at central machine making all kinds of great stuff, Along with helping out at mech-e with 2.009 and 2.007. Since 2020 I’m full time at Pappalardo and loving it. Spare time hobbies are mountain bikes, Motocross bikes, Then when it snows head up north on the snowmobiles.