Mentors

Carlos Armando Barrios

I am a recent Cal Poly Pomona graduate with a BS in Mechanical engineering. As the former Payload Integration Lead Engineer, I now am taking the role of mentor to see the project through to the end. I hope to take my experience and lead this team to a successful mission and eventually start a career in the aerospace industry as a design engineer with a focus on extra-terrestrial sustainability. When I am not developing new designs, prototyping new technologies or 3D printing you can find me on two wheels in the mountains or on the road.

Project Leads

Daniel Castaneda

Project Lead

My name is Daniel Castaneda (he/his/him) and I am a senior Aerospace Engineering student. I have helped the FAR1030 competition team with the structure of the rocket that was designed to reach 30,000 feet. I helped design the fins, engine bulkhead, and chose the bolts needed to secure the engine properly. I also designed a control system that dynamically stabilizes a small satellite in Low Earth Orbit to keep its orientation utilizing a small reaction wheel. I was also Team Lead for my system's engineering team that analyzed the different designs of the F-22. I am currently a Co- Public Relations Manager for UMBRA, where I manage the club's social media presence. 
My hobbies outside of school include basketball (Go Lakers), running, video games, and hiking. My goal after college is work at a company that designs and manufactures launch vehicles for different payloads. I am excited that space exploration is becoming more popular and that so many industries are starting up in my field. I am excited for this year with NSL and even more excited with what the future holds for rockets and space exploration!

Naethan Mallari

Deputy Project Manager

My name is Naethan Mallari (he/him/his), and I am a senior mechanical engineering student with a minor in physiology. My fascination with space began in elementary school when I had to do a project on supernovas, and since then, I have always been drawn to space, the advancement of space exploration, and the impact space exploration can have on humanity as a whole. ​

I transferred to Cal Poly Pomona from Los Angeles Pierce College. At LA Pierce College, I was a part of the engineering club which focused on educating our peers about engineering and the benefits it provides in everyday life. At Cal Poly, I served as the vice president and Director of Recognition of National Residence Hall Honorary where I mentored first-year students. I also served as the Director of Administration for Inter-hall Council, an organization that focuses on programming to enhance the first year/transfer on-campus housing experience. Through these organizations, I have developed leadership skills that I plan to take to NASA Student Launch, and I am really excited to work on the NSL team and gain experience in the field of engineering! 

When I’m not at Cal Poly, you can find me spending my free time at Disneyland, volunteering at a hospital, or finding new trails to hike with my dogs. My ultimate goal is to pursue a career in the field of aerospace medicine.

Safety Team

Christopher Kinyon

Safety Team Lead

My name is Christopher Kinyon, pronouns are he/him/his. I am a third year Aerospace major here at Cal Poly. I have some experience with rocketry, I worked with UMBRA to make a level 1 rocket  and  was set to launch early this year before bad weather and covid-19 prevented it soI am not yet level 1 certified but soon will be! I have had some experience with the subsonic wind tunnel and the water tunnel on campus working with a F-22 Raptor, plotting the correlation of angle of attack and stall point. I am interested in amateur rocketry and am hoping to learn to integrate computer systems into my level 1 rocket. I also enjoy hiking, boxing, and playing video games. I hope to become an integral part of the Cal Poly Pomona NSL team and do my part as Safety Officer.

Rukie Shendaj

Safety Officer

My name is Rukie Shendaj (she/her) and I am currently a junior at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) majoring in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Astronautics after transferring from the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). I am also participating in the NASA L’SPACE Proposal Writing Evaluation Experience (NPWEE) for which my new technology concept was selected, and I was designated as the principal investigator for my team. Previous clubs and experiences I have been involved with include mentoring middle school students in math and science as a member of the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) club, taking part in the 2018 Robogames autonomous sumo robot competition, and tinkering with fun, personal Raspberry Pi and Arduino projects. My space exploration goal is to design and oversee the development of a space settlement or an orbital colony around the Moon or Mars. In my free time, I enjoy practicing digital art, playing video games like Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros., learning piano and violin, and traveling whenever I can (if it’s safe to do so).

Payload System Team

Noah Serio

Payload System Team Lead

I am Noah Serio (he/his) and I am a 4th year mechanical engineering student at the California State Polytechnic University of Pomona. The 2020/2021 school year will be my second year participating in the NASA Student Launch Competition. Last year, I was an avionics engineer and finance officer. He helped ensure the safe recovery of the rocket and helped start the team's GoFundMe page.  This year, I am  the payload system lead engineer. I have experience with electro-mechanical design and testing from my internship with General Atomics and with various solo projects, one being a semi-autonomous quadcopter with hauling capabilities. I am also a club officer on campus for the Undergraduate Missiles, Ballistics, and Rocketry Association. Aside from aerospace education, I enjoy traveling, rock climbing, baseball, and good entertainment. I look forward to the upcoming challenges of NSL, and hope to prepare myself for a career in the aerospace industry.

Payload Subteam 

Arbi Khodaverdian

Lead Payload Engineer 

My name is Arbi Khodaverdian and I am a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. I am currently part of the payload system team for the NASA Student Launch competition. I have always had great interest toward the fields of space exploration and rocketry, therefore, I am very excited to take part in this project.​

Additionally, I have years of hands-on experience working on engineering projects in the fields of robotics, CNC machinery, engineering design and programming. Some of the projects that I have worked on include, building a humanoid robot capable of various physical movements and user interaction through voice recognition, a small-scale wind turbine generator, and a 3D-print based vehicle capable of obstacle avoidance, line tracking, and small object transportation using an attached robotic arm. I was also part of the propulsion team in the FAR-1030 rocket competition for the year 2019-2020 at Cal Poly Pomona, where I worked on rocket design and the development of a method for measuring rocket thrust by using load cells and Arduino programming. I am currently an active member in the Undergraduate Missiles Ballistics and Rocketry Association at Cal Poly Pomona.

As a student, I always enjoy and look forward to learning new concepts, acquiring valuable engineering skills, and working with a team in the development of innovative projects. My current life goals are centered on successfully acquiring my mechanical engineering bachelor degree and continuing my education in the aerospace engineering field with graduate programs.

Andres Ruiz

Payload Engineer | Finance Officer

I am Andres Ruiz (he/him) and am an incoming student majoring in Electromechanical Systems Engineering Technology. Before joining the NASA Student Launch team, I participated in clubs my high school had to offer. I led in clubs like the ULA Student Rocket Launch Competition and the FIRST Robotics Competition in programming using Java and designing using Inventor for a CAD. Now, I build drones with my friends and love learning programming languages in my free time. With my new team, I hope to learn new skills together while designing, testing, and troubleshooting our hard work!

Zachary Smith

Payload Engineer

Hello! My name is Zack Smith. I am a fifth year Mechanical Engineering major. 
This is my first time on a student project team and am extremely excited for the valuable experience and networking opportunities to be gained from this project. 
I enjoy hiking, video games, and anything that involves working with my hands. I can’t wait to enter the aerospace industry after graduating this spring.

Jason Lono

Payload Engineer 

Hey, my name's Jason Lono I am third year Mechanical Engineer at Cal Poly Pomona. I'm graduating Fall 2021, so this year I hope to get a lot of hands on personal and group project experience. Outside of NSL I will be working on my senior project with scientists at JPL to develop an impact-damping mechanism to absorb energy during low-velocity impacts in microgravity.  During quarantine I set up a maker space in my room with every kind of tool and microelectronic I could ever need to scratch any engineering itch I get while I'm trapped inside. I'm currently creating a web controlled drone to help build my computer and aerospace engineering knowledge and skills. I'm super stoked about this upcoming year for all the projects I can get my hands on and to work so many smart and talented engineering peers. 

Payload Integration Subteam

Nathan Lara

Lead Payload Integration  Engineer 

Hello all, my name is Nathan Lara (he/him) I am a third-year aerospace engineering student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Some of my fields of interest are Structural Mechanics, Systems Engineering, and Avionics. This will be my first year participating in the NASA Student Launch Initiative as a member of the Payload Integration sub team. Most of my experience comes from being the team lead for the majority of my course projects and my home projects of working on cars. Aside from rockets and engineering I like going to the gym, playing basketball, and a good movie. I am very excited to work on the NSL team and get hands on experience to take with me to industry. My ultimate goal is to work as a Structures engineer, and contribute to the future of space travel.

Anthony Rodriguez

Payload Integration Engineer

Hi! My name is Anthony Rodriguez (he/him) and I am a first year transfer Aerospace Major with an emphasis in astronautics. Prior to attending Cal Poly Pomona, I attended Palomar College for two years wherein I became the secretary of the Palomar Physics and Engineering Club. I do not have a lot of experience in rocketry, but I have recently taken up a project to build and launch my own L1 Rocket! In my spare time I enjoy fishing, maintaining/modifiying my car, and helping my friends with their cars as well. Additionally, I have recently begun to spend time learning and refining my skills in programs such as SolidWorks, MatLab, OpenRocket, and OpenMotor. I'm excited to see this project through with all my peers and advance my knowledge and experience in this field, while working with and meeting new people!

Tommy Fuentes

Payload Integration Engineer

My name is Tommy Oliver Fuentes and my major is Aerospace. This is my first year as a transfer student to California State Polytechnic Pomona. Before transferring, I was in debt collection industry as a collector for a few years. As a side from work, I enjoy adventures riding my e-bike through bike trails or dirt roads with my twin boys. I try to be fit by boxing and weight-lifting. It has been years now but I used to track a 1996 M3, replace engine parts, and make custom modifications to the engine. Unfortunately never got to more serious builds like turbo-charging.  And recently began to dive into 3-D printing with 3-D CAD modeling.

Andre Perez-Estrella

Payload Integration Engineer

Hi, I’m Andre Perez-Estrella (He/Him) and I am a third-year mechanical engineer double majoring in physics. I’ve worked on a handful of on-campus projects as well as personal ones ranging from an autonomous ground vehicle in the Northrop Grumman Project, an AI for a self-driving car in robotics club, remote controlled vehicles and robotic arms built from scratch at home, smart-ifying useless things in my house by modifying them like my garage door or water-fall to work with Amazon Alexa, and more; I honestly just love building things. Outside of school I’ve also interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Systems Engineer responsible for assessing the effectiveness of various instrumentation and sensor combinations on a rocket as part of the Aerosol Cloud Convection and Precipitation study for the Earth Decadal survey. The work I did there was incredibly fun and I’d love to eventually work there in the future (fingers crossed). In my life outside of engineering love tinkering, soccer, programming music, hanging with friends, food, and food. I’m super excited to be able to be part of the NSL team and can’t wait to work with all these talented people.

Launch Vehicle Team

Garrett Arian

Launch Vehicle Team Lead

Structures Subteam

Justin Diaz

Structures Subteam Lead

Hi, my name is Justin Diaz and I am a 3rd year Aerospace Engineering major at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Fall 2020 will be the start of my first year at CPP after transferring from Riverside City College. At RCC I was able to participate in a rocketry project as a propulsion systems member, present research on the benefits of space exploration at the University of California, Irvine, and hold the hardware lead position in our NASA S.U.I.T.S project. Throughout my community college career, I would fill my free time up with exploring the great outdoors in the form of hiking or fishing, along with learning how to play the guitar. After completing the last of the necessary classes I needed to transfer in the spring of 2020, I embarked on an internship at a machining shop learning the manufacturing and inspecting processes behind bringing engineering drawings/designs to life. I look forward to continuing my undergraduate career at CPP partaking in the NSL team.

Samantha Guerrero

Structural Engineer

My name is Samantha Guerrero (her,she), and I am a first year physics transfer. This is also my first year joining NSL’s structures sub team where I will help build the body tube, fins, nose cone, motor mount, and much more. Although I have yet to have any project experience through the UMBRA club I have experience repairing and maintaining aircraft. My A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) license has given me hands on experience with power/hand tools, composite, and sheet metal work. Besides making rocket building my new found hobby, the biggest love of my life is skydiving. I love to fly at my favorite dropzone, Skydive West Coast, where I find myself flying higher than our rocket. A few personal goals of mine include petting as many cats as I possibly can in my lifetime, wingsuit BASE jumping all over the world, learning about particle physics, and to one day work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In academia, I aspire to double major in Physics and Aerospace Engineering as well as minoring in Astronomy and Philosophy. Adios!

Benjamin Madrigal-Avina

Structural Engineer

My name is Benjamin Madrigal (he, him), and I am a 3rd year Aerospace Engineering student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. This is my first year as a part of NSL as a member of the structures sub-team, but I have been a part of other projects in the course of my time spent at Cal Poly Pomona, such as the Liquid Rocket Lab and 3D Rocket Anatomy. When I have free time away from my projects and coursework, I enjoy playing video games, reading, and modelmaking. Currently I am looking to obtain an internship where I can practice structural analysis so I can gain industry experience within the field I hope to work in once I graduate.

Analysis Subteam

Mary Boddy

Analysis Subteam Lead

Hello my name is Mary Elizabeth Boddy, and I am a third year Aerospace Engineering Major at Cal Poly Pomona.  My pronouns are She/Her.  I have been involved in many projects in my three years here at Cal Poly Pomona.  I was a team member of the FAR 1030 competition in 2018-2019 where I was a propulsion engineer, and it was that year that Cal Poly Pomona won the 1st place title for the 30,000 ft competition.  I was also involved in the Active Stability Project during 2019-2020 where we built a rocket that was able to stabilize itself mid flight.  I was a structural engineer for this team.  I have more recently been apart of a project to build a solid rocket test stand for the students at Cal Poly Pomona.  My club experience includes my membership with the Undergraduate Missiles Ballistics and Rocketry Association, which I have been apart of and active in since 2018.  Some of my hobbies include playing acoustic guitar and singing as well as reading and amature rocketry projects.

Sobhan Akhtar

Analysis Engineer

Hello my name is Sobhan Akhtar but you can call me Sunny for short. I’m an Aerospace Engineering major with an emphasis in astronautics and I’m currently a Senior. My project experience so far has been with building a Level 1 Rocket to achieve my Tripoli Level 1 Certification under the club UMBRA. I enjoy listening/making music and playing video games. My current goals are to get better at using software like Solidworks and Open Rocket, to learn software like OpenMotor and BurnSim, and to get a internship for next summer as opportunities this year were setback by Covid.

Bala Iganus

Analysis Engineer

My name is Bala Iganus (he, him, his), and I am a senior year aerospace engineering student. I have previously competed in the Space X hyperloop competition as a freshman in college, working primarily with CATIA to draft the conceptual design model for our team's high speed transportation pod. Although my then hypershocks team from Wichita state university did not make it past the conceptual design phase, the project was my first experience at an advanced college engineering project, and the lessons it taught me have been invaluable.
I am currently an active member of the Undergraduate Missiles Ballistics Rocketry Association (UMBRA - Aug 2019 till date), Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS USA - Aug 2019 till date). I have also been a previous member of the Math and Physics Club ( San Joaquin Delta College - Aug 2016 till May 2018), and now joining the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

I enjoy reading, watching documentaries, amateur rocketry, as well as building and flying RC planes. I'm passionate about flying machines and the future. Environmental friendly aircrafts such as those powered by electricity, and spacecrafts powered by powerful and reliable engines are the technology of the future. I'm excited for what the future holds, and eager to play my part in it.

Josepf Amador

Analysis Engineer

My name is Josepf Amador (he, him, his) and I am an Aerospace Engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona. I transferred from Riverside City College and will be starting my 3rd year in college. Previously at Norco, I participated as a Propulsions team member and researched Nozzle Design as part of the Norco Rocket Project team. In my free-time, I like to write small tunes on the electric guitar or ukulele. I experiment with coffee brewing in search for The One cup of coffee. I am also a huge physics enthusiast. When I find windows of time, I’ll pick up my modern physics textbooks and teach myself as best as I can. I aspire to earn a degree in physics and soon enough a Ph.D. in Physics at some point in life after Aerospace Engineering

Recovery Team

Katarina Aguayo

Recovery System Team Lead

My name is Katarina Aguayo (she/her/hers) and I am a senior Aerospace Engineering undergrad.  This year I am the Recovery Systems Lead, where I will be leading the parachutes team and avionics team to ensure our rocket has a safe landing and remains intact!

In the past, I have worked on multiple projects with Undergraduate Missiles, Ballistics, and Rocketry Association (UMBRA) and Cal Poly Pomona Hyperloop.  This is my second year on the NASA Student Launch Team where I was the Lead Recovery Engineer, focusing on the parachute deployment system.  Apart from technical experience, I also worked at the Boys and Girls Club for three summers, leading a STEM engagement program for 11-12 year olds, encouraging them to go to college and pursue engineering in the future.  
​
My goal as an engineer in industry is to work as a propulsions or recovery engineer, and to contribute to the future of space travel and space exploration.  I love watching movies, listening to/finding new music, hanging with my friends, going to concerts (pre-COVID), and all things space! 

Parachutes Subteam

Bulmaro Sanchez Jr.

Lead Vehicle Recovery Engineer 

My name is Bulmaro Sanchez Jr. My pronouns are he, him, and his. I'm a fourth year Aerospace Engineering major, transferred from San Diego City College. I had participated in San Diego City College Robotics Club previously. This is my first year being a part of the NSL Team. I enjoy being around sports, mostly basketball. My favorite basketball team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. I enjoy listening to music a lot, currently my favorite genre is R&B.

Khai Phan

Vehicle Recovery Engineer

My name is Khai Phan, I go by he/him/his. I am a 3rd year aerospace engineering major. One of my more prominent project experience that I was in charge of was designing and manufacturing a aluminum/wood bi-fold ramp for team 5430 during the 2017-2018 FRC tournament. I am apart of the CPP kendo and iaido club, I became a member during my first year, now I am the treasurer for the year 2020-2021. In my free time I practice kendo, play basketball, and watch japanese dramas. One of my goals this year is obtain more engineering experience through the CPP NSL team.

Samy Ousman

Vehicle Recovery Engineer

My name is Samy Ousman (he/his/him) and I am a fourth year Aerospace Engineering major. This is my first year on the NASA Student Launch Team as a Vehicle Recovery Engineer. I have always been fascinated with the endless possibilities of travel above ground, where it seems as if it is a whole other world in the sky. Over the past couple summers and winter I have interned for SOAR (Source One Aircraft Repair) where I have learned the components and functions of commercial aircrafts as well as created inventory lists of parts and tools needed for the repair project based on the project report. My hobbies aside from school include playing basketball, watching the Lakers, hiking, learning about stocks, and spending time with loved ones. My current goal is to obtain an internship at Boeing in order to work my way to my career goal which is to be an Engineer at Boeing and help excel the commercial aviation industry.

Avionics Subteam

Alex Djansezian

Lead Avionics Team 

Hello all, my name is Alex Djansezian (he/him) I am a third-year aerospace engineering student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. This will be my first year participating in the NASA Student Launch Initiative as the Avionics Sub-team Lead Engineer. Most of my leadership experience stems from being team leads throughout the majority of my courses and an internship with A&V Engineering, Inc. where I learned the process of which aerospace materials are machined and assembled. Aside from rockets and engineering I enjoy playing basketball, snowboarding and always looking for the best place to eat. I am ecstatic to work on the NSL team and get hands on experience to take with me to industry.  My ultimate goal is to work as a propulsions engineer, and contribute to the future of space travel and exploration.

Yosuf Mayar

Avionics Engineer | Web Officer

My name is Yosuf Mayar (he/his) and I am a fourth year, mechanical engineering student, and this is my first time being part of the NASA Student Launch Initiative. I have served as the Educational Outreach Officer for ASME for two years, and am currently the ambassador for the CPP chapter of ASME. I just completed my internship as a Production Technician at Axiomtek, one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and integrated computer products. My passion for engineering comes from a desire to learn how the world works and to apply that knowledge to help make the world a better place. Outside of school, I love to travel, watch and play sports (primarily soccer and basketball), and play Super Smash Bros. Melee. I love a good challenge, and I will do whatever it takes to help the team win this year's competition!

Jacob Swenke

Avionics Engineer

My name is Jacob Swenke (he/him/his) and I’m a 4th year Computer Engineering student at Cal Poly Pomona. My project experience thus far has been mostly small side-projects involving Python, C, and C# but I’ve recently taken an interest in bash scripting and Linux after learning the basics of each over the Summer at my internship. I don’t have much club experience and this is going to be my first year in NSL but I’m looking forward to the contributions I can make to the team as a Computer Engineering student since most of our team consists of Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering students. During the summer I worked as a Test Engineering Intern at ThinKom Solutions. ThinKom is a company that designs, manufactures, and provides compact broadband antennas for use on planes and other vehicles in the consumer, enterprise, first-responder, civil, military, and intelligence communities. At ThinKom, I wrote bash and python scripts to test antenna functions as well as parse data from tests to provide to their customers. I also gained experience trouble shooting antenna systems that were setup for testing and it gave me an idea of how to approach and resolve problems efficiently in any kind of system, which will be of use this year in my position on the Avionics team. I am excited about the opportunities I’ll have this year in NSL and how I can apply what I learn in my career after I graduate in the Spring.

Manufacturing Team

Brooks Blenker

Lead Manufacturing Engineer

I am Brooks Blenker (He/Him); an Aerospace Engineering Major with an emphasis in Astronautics graduating in 2023. I have had the fortune to have participated with the Saddleback College Robotics team as their Mechanical Lead on their 2020 University Rover Competition entry.  I lead the team through design, manufacturing, and integration phases of the project, culminating in the first community college team to have been accepted into the URC, scoring 82.67 on our SAR. I am returning as the Mechanical Lead for the SC Robotics 2021 Rover as well. I have over 9 years of engineering drafting experience, with everything from Hand Drafting to Inventor, and am Associate Level Certified in Solidworks. I have extensive CNC, 3D Printing, CAM Operation, and Metal Fabrication experience through my time with SC Robotics. I work in the Aviation Sector as an Aircraft Detailer and aid our Mechanics when needed. I have Associates Degree’s in Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics. When I’m not working on a project or going to school, I can be found riding my motorcycle and working on repairs. I am also a Student Pilot actively working on my Single Engine Land Private Pilot License. ​

Systems Team

Charles Kalis

Lead Systems Engineer

Support Team

Jessica Hernandez

Outreach Manager

My name is Jessica Hernandez. I am a fourth-year  Aerospace Engineering student. I had the opportunity to be apart of the 2019-2020 NSL team as outreach lead and a member of the propulsion subteam. I plan on attending Cal Poly for five years and applying for a NASA internship in the summer of 2021. In my free time, I work part-time at Chick-fil-a and try to have a social life with friends and family. ​