Who we are
YEPS Engineering is a student-run, self-funded passion project born from the mind of Jamison Ying, a 2026 high school graduate with an insatiable curiosity for how the smallest details shape the biggest innovations. What began as a simple question — “From the simplest of structures, how can one create something entirely new?” — evolved into a deep exploration of materials engineering, ever diving into the structures not visible to the eyes.
Raised by a chemistry teacher father, Jamison grew up surrounded by beakers, formulas, and experiments that turned curiosity into second nature. That early exposure to the world of science didn’t just spark interest — it ignited purpose. Through YEPS, he channels that lifelong fascination into tangible experiments and research designed to push his understanding of how polymers and engineered materials behave under different conditions.
The name YEPS — short for Ying Engineering Polymers — captures both the essence and the humor behind the project. It’s a nod to Jamison’s lighthearted personality and his belief that science doesn’t have to be rigid to be revolutionary. Beneath its playful acronym lies a serious pursuit: uncovering new ways to think about materials and their real-world applications.
Developed as part of Grandview’s STEM Projects class, YEPS represents the intersection between academic structure and independent ambition. Every experiment, design, and observation is self-driven and self-funded, serving as both a personal challenge and a professional foothold into the materials engineering industry Jamison plans to enter in the future.
At its core, YEPS Engineering isn’t just a project — it’s a living example of what happens when curiosity meets persistence. It’s about creating something meaningful from limited resources, exploring without a predefined map, and learning that even the smallest discoveries can lead to the biggest breakthroughs.
What is your Project?
“For my project, I plan on creating a miniature-scale wet-spinning machine that would be used to create small amounts of industry-used polymers. While no set polymer has been decided on to base the machine off, I do want to try and attempt to make the machine versatile to make a multitude of polymers by being able to create new conditions within the different stages of the material development process. ”
What Research do you Anticipate having to do?
“I am going to have to research the industry standard that come with making and industrial production machine, along with the actual polymer creation process, the machine processes and how to recreate said processes with a lack of industrial materials and budget, how certain polymers are created within certain processes in order to properly recreate accurate industry-grade polymer, and the potential dangers and actual applications creating this machine will have in the real world. ”
What Technology will you Learn/Use to Complete this Project?
“Throughout this process, I plan to learn how to use Raspberry Pi’s/Arduinos to fully automate the process of creating the certain polymers, along with mastering CAD design programs such as SolidWorks to make polished, project specific parts that will be compatible and specifically designed to make my machine work.”
What will be the Final Outcome of your Project (Plans, Model, Working Program, etc.)?
“By the end of the project deadline, I hope to have a working wet-spinning machine along with a variety of at least two different polymers that have been created by my machine. I also hope to make the machine safe enough along with precise enough to do a live demonstration alongside my presentation to show the success behind my machine and its ability to provide industry-grade polymers for applicable use.”
Personal Project Objectives
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