Not Pictured: David Boyd, Jesse Knight, Mike Powell, Paul Lahann, Shelia Burgess
David Boyd
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: University of Maryland, University College, BS Computer Science
Capella University, MS Information Techology - Software Engineering
ILITE Subteam: Various
Why did you join ILITE: My middle son was involved.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: In my current job I can not hire enough qualified engineers.
How has ILITE influenced you: It has shown me the immense potential available from our young people. I have personally seen its positive influence on my kids.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: Seeing students succeed
A Quote by You: Only through investments in STEM such as this can we insure the future of our young people and this country.
Anything else you want us to know?: US Air Force Veteran
Gail Drake
2011 Washington DC Woodie Flowers Award Winner!
College Attended/Attending & Degrees:
Rochester Institute of Technology- Associate of Science
Rochester Institute of
Technology- Bachelors in Business,
Southern New Hampshire
University- Masters in Business Administration,
Southern New Hampshire
University- Masters in Science,
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and Harvard University- Special Prgrams for Key Executives
ILITE Subteam: ILITE Robot Overlord /
All subteams
Why did you join ILITE: I saw the
potential in FIRST Robotics and from that start the ILITE Robotics
Team.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM
Education: STEM is the basis of all successful civilizations. Our
society has not supported technical and educational advancement for the
past several years, and the result is seen by todays' economy. I am
determined to ‘do my part to encourage young people to pursue STEM
futures’.
How has ILITE influenced you: Year
after year I see the potential students have. From them, I hold hope
that the future of this country is in good hands.
What is your favorite part of Robotics:
Changing a Child's Life :)
A Quote by You: “No Child Left
Unchallenged”
Jacob Cohen
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: GMU – Computer Engineering
ILITE Subteam: Business
Why did you join ILITE: I started as an ILITE student for three years. The experience I gained as a student was unlike anything I had ever done before. I wanted to offer the same opportunity to other students.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: I know how much STEM Education helped me become who I am today. I believe STEM Education allows students to specialize in something they find fun. In addition, I believe STEM Education is vital for our country’s success.
How has ILITE influenced you: ILITE continues to allow me to grow and expand my engineering knowledge, but more than that, I have gained great friends.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: When I was a member of ILITE, nothing was better than seeing whatever I was working on work for the first time, whether it was a robot, website, or even a brochure. Now that I am a mentor I enjoy watching students experience that same feeling of success.
A Quote by You: "If you think you’re done coding the website, test it in Internet Explorer, I bet you’ll have more work to do.”
Jesse Knight
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Georgia Tech- BSEE
ILITE Subteam: Strategy, Mechanisms; I occasionally consult for the Drive Train team and can wire things in a pinch.
Why did you join ILITE: ILITE focuses on more than the robot and competition season. When FRC season is over, I can help in many other STEM initiatives within iLITE's umbrella of activities.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: The world needs more problem solvers. Sure, the U.S. is falling behind, blah, blah blah. I'd rather take the approach that upcoming youth need to have more direction where they may be wandering, skills they would otherwise lack, and ambition over complacency. A better-educated nation is better equipped to answer the nation's tough questions.
How has ILITE influenced you: It's kept my insatiable appetite alive for learning new things and relating complex problems to solutions. The students and other mentors also constantly teach me how to communicate better.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: Doing strategy with the students & then following it all the way through to coaching on the field. It shows the students, by example, that problem solving takes hard work yet has a huge payoff.
A Quote by You: No matter what we try to control, life will always be in chaotic itinerancy.
Anything else you want us to know?: I program for a living. You wouldn't know that by what I do with robotics. I also have a very lenient employer (Lockheed Martin) that allows me flex my work schedule around mentoring when needed.
Michael Piccione
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Virgina Tech- BS Technology Education and MS Technology Education
ILITE Subteam: Build
Why did you join ILITE: I love to build, to solve problems and to give kids a future.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: It is my life.
Mike Powell
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Virginia Tech/BSEE
ILITE Subteam: Various
Why did you join ILITE: Because my son joined ILITE
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: If one believes in the very real possibility of the United States losing its technical edge over the rest of the world, then they can either sit idly by and watch it happen, or they can contribute in some real and lasting way.
How has ILITE influenced you: : I have been a practicing engineer for over 20 years, so not many things impress me anymore.
ILITE, however, truly impressed me with the breadth and depth of the students’ exposure. I am firmly convinced that when
ILITE members become college Freshmen they enjoy a real and tangible advantage over their classmates and that they have a much firmer understanding of the "why” that is frequently left unexplained in college engineering courses.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: Watching a group of teenagers transform themselves into a true team, helping each other in difficulty and reveling in shared success
A Quote by You: Engineering is, fundamentally, the act of applying Scientific Rigor and Life Force in an attempt to solve a specific problem and in so doing, overcoming Entropy
Nathan Hagan
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Webb Institute, pursuing Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
ILITE Subteam: Business/Web/Marketing
Why did you join ILITE: I joined ILITE as a Senior in high school as a student member with a fascination for the combination of engineering and graphic design. I returned as a mentor the following year as a mentor for graphic design as a remote mentor helping from my work in Connecticut. This was repeated last year as I worked in New Zealand. This year I am pleased to join from the DC area again for a hands on experience of helping future students experience the same passion and excitement that I had in high school.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: I love STEM education for all of the opportunities it can provide. I dream of a world in which art and engineering are combined, where students are encouraged to practice both their creative and logical sides...Afterall, in all of my experiences I have found that only through the combination of these two concepts can ultimate success be reached.
How has ILITE influenced you: ILITE reminds me day in and out that the work that I do, designing ships for the US Navy, is serving a true purpose, to protect the future of the country, a future of smiling, excited, passionate young engineers and scientists. ILITE has helped me, by preparing me for college, given me practice to articulate my own leadership and listening skills, and has served as a motivator to continue to stay active in my community.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: I like two parts of the robotics process...1) the initial design process. The wide eyed dreams that everyone has at the initial declaration of the mission, and 2) the final ship day, when you know whether it works or not, your team just put everything they had into that product and a nap is on its way.
A Quote by You: "If it is to be, It is up to me."
Anything else you want us to know?:
ILITE is in my blood. It truly does Inspire Leaders in
Technology and Engineering. I am currently serving as
the highest elected Student position in my industry
professional society, SNAME. It is an honor to serve
this role, and I can attest ILITE to many of the skills
that I have needed to get this far. Oh and I could not
be happier with the students that I have had the
opportunity to mentor over the last three seasons.
Paul Lahann
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Virginia Tech- Electrical Engineering and Bachelors of Science;
University of Virginia- Electrical Engineering and Bachelors of Science;
George Washington University- Systems Engineering and Masters of Science
ILITE Subteam: Build
Why did you join ILITE: 1. New Battlefield High was opening as my sons' school.
Studies show parent involvement highly contributes to schools success.
2. My company was donating to, and looking for volunteers for,
a FIRST Team that I, and I believed my sons, would enjoy and find challenging.
3. Being part of FIRST, lead by Dr Woodie Flowers' ideas and Dean Kamen's acumen,
is an new exciting approach to invigorating learning and engineering.
4. America needs now more technical and other skills developed by FIRST worldwide challenges.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: We are accelerating into an exciting Knowledge age of Science and
Technology, with more powerful pieces and tools more prevalent and easier to use and apply. Innovations are occurring at an ever
faster rate, and we have only started to even imagine how to apply these new technologies in solving world problems.
How has ILITE influenced you: As an Engineer, I enjoy everything about from elegantly simple
to complex systems, and robotics gives you experiences using some of these new tools across these ranges. Robotics allows me to share
and grow my skills alongside members of ILite, and applying FIRST's Gracious Professionalism, with all the energized FIRST Community.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: As we build skills in ourselves and those around us,
teaming and competing with others from across our area and the world, together we grow understanding and improving our own
competitiveness, to improve the world.
Seth Hutchins
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Grand Valley State University, B.S. Computer Science
ILITE Subteam: #include <programming.h>
Why did you join ILITE: Employer heavily involved in FIRST
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: Give back to the community by developing the next generation of engineers
How has ILITE influenced you: I have learned it is hard and unhelpful to take bolts apart
What is your favorite part of Robotics: Watching as people discover that the engineering process is much about building success out of failure.
A Quote by You: Did you test that?
Anything else you want us to know?: 'Meh!'
Shelia Burgess
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, MS Electrical Engineering Southern Illinois University, BS Electrical Engineering
ILITE Subteam: Build
Why did you join ILITE: I was introduced because my son joined but I was inspired because I had the privilege to experience the most incredible program that truly inspires and changes each and every life. Even leaders that have had TV programs, awards, recognition, and books written about what they are doing to promote STEM do not compare to what Coach Drake has created with the incredible ILITE Program.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: It is extremely important that our talented young students are exposed to the STEM opportunities to the betterment of themselves, those around them, and our country as our reliance on innovation and technology ever increases.
How has ILITE influenced you: ILITE has influenced me in learning how important it is to participate in community service while reaching out to others.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: The students! The opportunities to mentor students about their next steps in STEM related education and provide insights for them to consider is at the top of the list.
A Quote by You: “Learn who you are, reach for who you want to be, and live life to its fullest by realizing the true blessings in giving.”
Steen Hambric
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: University of Southern Mississippi / BSBA with MIS emphasis
ILITE Subteam: Various
Why did you join ILITE: Middle and youngest sons are involved. I wanted to support their extracurricular activities at school.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: STEM education is critical to our nation’s future. To compete globally in areas such as technology and engineering, we have to better prepare our students for the "real world” by promoting, encouraging and enabling STEM education such as ILITE robotics for our students.
How has ILITE influenced you: ILITE Robotics has convinced me that students thrive on STEM activities and are up to any challenge set before them.
What is your favorite part of Robotics: Watching a group of students of different backgrounds, personalities, strengths and weaknesses come together as a team with a common challenge or purpose and working relentlessly to succeed.
A Quote by You: "Fail Fast”. In other words, it is better to find out quickly that an idea won’t work so that you can try something else, than to use up all of your time trying to make an impossible idea work.
Wei Lau
College Attended/Attending & Degrees: Rochester Institute of Technology- BS Computer Science
Syracuse University- MS
ILITE Subteam: Build and Programming
Why did you join ILITE: ILITE is fun. I joined to support the corporation that I was working with. I continue because I love the challenge and watching the students grow.
Why are you interested in encouraging STEM Education: The United States needs talented technical people.
