Laila Afshari

President

I'm Laila Afshari. My pronouns are she/ hers. I am an Aerospace Engineering major entering my fourth year. I'm also getting a minor in Mathematics. I was a part of the Structures team on the 2018-2019 FAR 1030 rocket team. Last year, I was Lead Testing Engineer for the Active Stabilization and Precision Altitude Targeting Senior Project team. This year, I am the Lead Structural Engineer for UMBRA's Singularity Rocket Project. I've been a member of UMBRA since 2017, served as our Secretary from 2019-2020, and this year I am President! My goal for this year is to create more opportunities for learning and professional development while encouraging diversity and accessibility throughout UMBRA. ​

James McPherson

Vice President

Hey everyone! I'm James McPherson (he/his) and I'm a fourth-year Aerospace Engineering student with a passion for propulsion systems. I've loved rockets and space ever since I was a kid, and over the course of my undergraduate career, I've been able to test fire several solid rocket motors and fly many rockets with my friends. My ultimate goal is to work on hardware that makes it to space! Previously, I've served as Chief Propulsion Engineer for Singularity Rocket Project and Active Stabilization, and I've had the opportunity to intern at Exquadrum and Sugarhouse Aerospace. When I'm not studying for my classes or participating in the many activities UMBRA has to offer, I like to cook and play video games. I look forward to making sure each and every one of you has an enriching experience on one of our many project teams and to foster an atmosphere of innovation and excitement. 

Crystal Enriquez

Treasurer

My name is Crystal Enriquez and this upcoming Fall of 2020 I will be a junior. My pronouns are she/her/hers and I am a first generation college student pursuing Aerospace Engineering. I don’t come from a long line of engineers in the family and at first, I was unsure what to major in. I decided to get more involved and really take initiative in being a part of the Aerospace community at CPP in order to really determine if Aerospace Engineering was for me. During one of my Aero classes, I remembered a club member giving a presentation on all the workshops and team projects UMBRA Offers. I decided to check out the club, and I loved it. After doing the Level One Certification workshop through UMBRA, I developed a fondness for rocketry. Despite having little to no experience, UMBRA opened many opportunities to network, get involved in team projects, and gain hands-on experience. All I can really say is that I am very grateful to be a part of such an amazing organization.

Rochelle Casement

Scheduler

Hi folks! I’m Rochelle Casement (she/hers) and I’m entering my third year as an aerospace major this fall and I will be serving as UMBRA's Scheduler! I joined the FAR-1030 team my sophomore year as a propulsion engineer working with some fantastic people, and I am happy to be continuing on UMBRA’s Singularity Rocket Project working as Project Deputy Lead in addition to leading the project's first systems engineering sub-team and working as Financial Manager. This year I will also be Lead Systems Engineer of the Solid Rocket Test Stand (SRTS) project that I hope future years of CPP rocketry teams can benefit from. Outside of UMBRA I’m a member of clubs and organizations like SHPE, SWE, CPP-WE, INCOSE, and AIAA. When I get time to myself I love going on little trips, swimming (I'm aiming to do the Alcatraz swim within a year or two), and driving over speed bumps at full-speed. If you see a cute green '07 Corolla barreling down University Dr. be sure to say "howdy!" from a safe distance!

Sevada Avanessian

Secretary

Hi everyone, my name is Sevada Avanessian (he/him/his), most everyone calls me Sev. I’m starting my second year as a transfer student at CPP as an Aerospace Engineering major. I will be serving as UMBRA Secretary this year and will be working on the Northrop Grumman Collaboration Project as a stability and controls engineer. This past summer I had the opportunity to participate in NASA’s L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy. I will be participating in the follow-up NASA Proposal Writing Evaluation Experience during the fall semester as well. Outside of school, I am an avid swimmer and even traveled to Armenia during summer 2019 to race against the Armenian Olympic team in the Pan-Armenian games. I also enjoy camping and spending time with family and friends and traveling (when it’s safe to do so).

Ashley Schiller

Co-Public Relations Manager

My name is Ashley Schiller and I am one of the PR Managers for this year. My pronouns are she/her. I am a third year in the Aerospace Engineering major. I have been a part of the experimental stage separation project team and the Liquid Rocket Lab. I have my level 1 high power rocketry certification. Last year, I was the UMBRA historian, and I have been a member of both UMBRA and AIAA every year that I have attended Cal Poly. Some of my hobbies include building rockets of various sizes and cosplaying at Anime Expo.

Daniel Castenada

Co-Public Relations Manager

My name is Daniel Castaneda and my pronouns are he/his. I am a senior standing Aerospace Engineer Undergrad with an emphasis in Astronautics. I am currently the Project Lead for the NASA Student Launch Team representing Cal Poly Pomona (2020-2021). I have previous project experience with the FAR1030 Cal Poly Pomona Team (2019-2020) using structural mechanics to optimize bolts and skin thickness for the fins and motor casing for the team’s rocket. I also helped design a control system to stabilize a small satellite in Low Earth Orbit for my Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control Design Class (2019-2020).  I am currently a Public Relations Manager for UMBRA (Undergrad Missiles Ballistics & Rocketry Association) where I manage the club’s social media presence. I aim to graduate by Spring 2021 so I can finally maintain a full-time position to design launch vehicles, missiles, or spacecraft.

Alexander Burrola

Fundraising Chair

Hi, my name is Alex Burrola (he/him/his) and I’m a second-year Aerospace Engineering major here at Cal Poly. I gained experience with rocketry last year using OpenRocket to put in the measurements of a rocket that we built in the Level 1 Workshop and manufacturing said rocket. So far, I’ve been involved in UMBRA for a year, and with the time I’ve been here I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people who share the same love of space and rocketry as I do. Some hobbies I have are going off-roading with my family in our trucks and occasionally gaming. Also, I really like the outdoors and love to go fishing, hiking, biking, and pretty much anything when I have the time to do so. Overall, I am excited to see how much we are going to accomplish here at UMBRA given the circumstances of the world right now.

Jacob Friedlander

Outreach Coordinator

Hello, my name is Jacob Friedlander (he/his) and I will serve as the Head of Outreach for the 2020-2021 school year.  Currently, I am a second-year transfer student pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in astronautics.  Also, I am the co-lead propulsion engineer of the Singularity Rocket Team and served as the lead propulsion engineer for the FAR 1030 team for the 2019-2020 academic year.  My ultimate goal as Head of Outreach is to expand UMBRA’s influence and reach beyond the Aerospace department to involve students from various STEM disciplines on campus and diversify our club.  While at community college, I served as the Senator of Industry and Technology where I functioned as a liaison between the student body and the dean of that department to address grievances and coordinate fundraising opportunities.  My academic interests are primarily propulsion and aerodynamics and my hobbies include boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, running, spearfishing, playing guitar, and reading.

Noah Serio

Webmaster

I'm Noah Serio. I am a Mechanical Engineering major entering my fourth year. I've been an UMBRA club member since 2018 and this is my second year as an officer. Last year, I was an avionics engineer on the 2019-2020 NASA Student Launch team. This year, I am the Lead Payload Engineer for the NASA Student Launch Team. My goal for this year is to update the club website to provide a clear and informative portal into what the club is all about. It is my hope that students, industry leaders, family, and friends will come to this website to learn more about what the club has to offer.  ​

Ben Narita

E-Council Representative

Hello, I’m Ben Narita, a third-year aerospace engineering major. My pronouns are he/him. The first project I worked on at Cal Poly Pomona was FAR 1030, which was during my first year. During my second year I was on the team for Liquid Rocket Lab (LRL), as well as several Bronco Space projects. This year, I will continue with LRL and a couple of projects through Bronco Space, namely the BroncoSat-1 collaboration with UMBRA. However, if you ever ask me about projects, I will always bring up my high school FIRST Robotics Competition team (6644), which I started with my friends since that was honestly one of the most fun (and draining) things I’ve ever done.

Donald Edberg

UMBRA's Faculty Advisor

Donald Edberg, professor in the aerospace engineering department, joined Cal Poly Pomona in 2001 after earning an aerospace sciences doctorate from Stanford University. He received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Engineering, the Northrop Grumman Faculty Award for teaching excellence, and most recently the 2019 Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Edberg spearheaded the development of Uninhabited Vehicle Lab and serves as UMBRA's faculty advisor. He is the champion and adviser for CPP Zero-Gravity flight team that was selected three times by NASA, a rare honor as only a few institutions in the nation achieve this distinction. Under his supervision, student design teams have secured top three finishes 19 times (including seven first place finishes) since 2007. . Edberg authored the textbook “Space Launch Vehicle Design,” which has been endorsed and accepted for publication by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.