2024 GA Participants in GASSSS Program
These participants have submitted a final GASSSS application.
If your name is not on this list and you have participated in the GASSSS program, please contact Larry Woolf at Lawrence.Woolf@ga-asi.com
| GA GASSSS Participant | Company | School | Materials Purchased | Activity |
| Mark Davis | GA-ASI | Empower Language Academy and Children’s Creative and Performing Arts Academy, San Diego CA | owl pellets, magnifying glasses, and sanitary items (gloves, wipes, etc.) | Short presentation on: • Predator vs. prey • What makes an owl a good predator • The basics of owl digestion Helped students dissect owl pellets and assemble skeletal structures that they discovered |
| Krasimir Vasilev | GA-ASI | FTC Robotics, Del Norte High School, San Diego CA | Purchased frame parts, wheels, odometry pods, slide kits, etc. These parts are unique for this year’s challenge, where parts from previous robot builds could not be reused. See complete list in the attached receipt. | Prepared slides on DC motors and electrical wiring basics, theory, and how they apply to what the team needs to design, build, and test. Reviewed wiring with the team and provided guidance on cable design and routing, helped identify root cause for past wiring failures and provided tips for reducing the risk of future failures. Provided electrical system troubleshooting tips and general guidance on the robot build, stability, and maneuverability. |
| Lien Melchor | GA-ASI | Ramona High School AVID, Riverside CA | None | I was a guest speaker discussing my experience from college and career as an Engineer to about 500 students throughout the day. |
| Tess Bernard | GA | Crawford High School, San Diego CA | None | I did two 20-30 minute presentations that included an introduction to fusion, DIII-D and my own research. The presentation was interspersed with physical plasma demonstrations that involved students. |
| Kathy Kucharski | GA-ASI | Albert Einstein Charter Academy, San Diego CA | Purchased STEM kits (Plasma Ball, Microscope, Butterfly kit and solar system lego set) | Performed 4 mini experiments with the class to demonstrate water tension. Balencing drops of water on a penny, making a “water bug” that floats, making a paperclip float and using a drop of soap to disperse pepper that was floating on the surface. |
| Isaac Vega Lopez; Jason Flores; Micah Baxter; Hoang Hung; Robin Jacobson | GA-ASI | San Diego County Engineering Council, San Diego CA | None | Attend San Diego Engineers week banquet event, this event allows college students the opportunity to interact with professionals and obtain career advice. |
| Brian Ngsee | GA-ASI | Canyon View Elementary, San Diego CA | Booth space rental (includes tent, 4 chairs, 2 six-foot tables) for school STEAM Festival | Run STEAM Festival booth with hands on activities using sets of angled block shapes with mirrors, mirrored puzzles, and hexagon shape puzzles; Inform and educate K-5 kids about who and what is General Atomics. Present 3-D printed materials and educational flyers about General Atomics. |
| Aaron Sathrum | GA-EMS | Rolling Hills Elementary School, San Diego CA | None | Judged TK-5th grade science fair projects for the kids and talked about my job at General Atomics. |
| Joshua Pine | GA-ASI | Cal State San Marcos Super STEM Saturday 2024, San Marcos CA | None | Talking to children and parents about fabrication technology like 3D printing and how those things relate to a career in aerospace or engineering in general. Explaining how aircraft fly, how 3D printers work, what materials are used and why they are chosen. |
| Mi Do, Isaac Ruiz | GA | American Chemical Society Student Affiliates (ACSSA) of UCSD, La Jolla CA | None | I was presenting my work experience, professional background, and pertinent skills acquired during my tenure at GA. Additionally, I outlined my past educational background, related chemistry experience at Chemistry and Biology lab at UCSD to create an effective resume, serving as a guide for aspiring individuals seeking entry into the industry. I also promoted various departments within the company and encouraged students to apply to GA by scanning the provided QR code. |
| Barton McDowell | GA-ASI | FRC Team NOMAD Inc., Escondido CA | Purchase of miscellaneous robotics parts for FRC Team NOMAD Inc. competing in FIRST Robotics competitions. Various material for the robot: items such as radios, gears, wheels, etc… | I mentored the team in various aspects of mechanical design from concept through CAD design and final mechanical construction. Helped with team strategy at the matches and general support throughout the season. The challenge was revealed on January 6th and competitions began on March 1. |
| Joshua Hicok | GA | FIRST Robotics Team 1572 HammerHeads, San Diego CA | Robot drivetrain components were purchased. | Assisted in robot fabrication as well as instructed students on the use of the lathe and mill. Also assisted at the competition to repair the robot and scout other teams robots. |
| Kari Moreno | GA-EMS | Pearl High School, Pearl MS | 15 TI-83 Plus graphing calculators were purchased for use by Pearl High School. | The teacher introduced stoichiometry using the “Setup Method”. I supported the class with walking around and working out the problems with the students. Attached are the powerpoints and the problems that were worked with me as the in class help. |
| Satish Krishnan | GA-ASI | Proxima Rocketry Team, San Diego CA | Funding was entirely used for the purchase of parts and supplies needed by the team to build and launch model rockets. This was an immensely educational experience for the team. The rockets built were used to compete in the NASA Student Launch Program (NASA Student Launch Challenge - NASA). | As a GA employee, I was actively involved in supporting team activities ranging from logistics, safety and coaching team on learnings from the build/launch sessions. |
| John Zinck | GA-SI | Benson Primary School, Benson AZ | None | I lead a team of 16 fourth and fifth graders participating in the First Lego League program titled “Masterpiece.” The students filled out a booklet requiring them to draw pictures, answer questions, and brain storm ideas how to use technology to improve a process used in the arts (a concert venue, museum, etc.). This program also introduced writing code. The students had to program a robot to maneuver to an obstacle and complete a task like pulling a lever, raising a platform, or some other movement; with the idea that the robot would be used to improve a process used in the arts. My team built a robot that could be used for security at a concert venue and used to investigate thefts from a museum. This culminated in an expo where we demonstrated to our families and a panel of judges what we learned. |
| Don Czechowicz, Nina Langley, Carole Christian, Alberto Nunez, Shahin Pajoom, Tina Reuter, Erwin Castillo, Isaac Ruiz | GA | Grant School, Santa Monica CA | Purchase of Consumable Supplies for “Science Can Be Cool” Demonstrations. Receipts attached. Event Insurance required by School District. Transportation Costs (Gas, Uber for 1 person, Parking. Cost for Breakfast (Coffee, Muffins), Cost for Team Lunch. | Science can be Cool Demonstration and Explanation of why it’s COOL to be a Scientist or Engineer. Large Auditorium of attendees involved in Question and Answer Session on Science in your everyday Lives, The Recent Eclipse and Scientific Explanation of what was going on. SAFETY – on why all Students, Teachers, Siblings must respect Safety and Examples of Safe Science Practices. |
| Christopher Gummo | GA-SI | Elgin Elementary, Elgin AZ | None | I ended up piecing together sections from the Drone Discovery Kits and modified other sections to make them more basic as I was presenting to a 3rd grade class.. 1. Introduction, basics of flight physics, basics of the different flight controls and their purpose, basics of what drones are, and the differences between rotator and fixed wing aircraft. 2. Code Copters IRL Section: I used painters’ tape to lay out the grid pattern on the class floor and we split the class into two teams and had them come up with their code commands and I acted as the drone and had them guide me from an entry point to an exit point. 3. Things That Fly Section. They used the propcoter flight (straw and rotor) for how rotor wing aircraft work. 4. FPG-9 Glider: They built the glider to go over how fixed wing aircraft fly. We then went outside to see whose glider would go the furthest. I had them throw the glider twice, the second time allowing them to adjust the flight control surfaces to see if they could make the glider fly further and straighter. |
| Rania Battikha | GA-ASI | We Impact Corp, San Diego CA | Purchase of electronic parts used to build a quadcopter drone used for vision detection | Provided feedback on the drone’s design and mentored for the San Diego Science Fair presentation |
| Ubaldo Martinez | GA-ASI | Westview Foundation for Westview High School Robotics; San Diego CA | Will support the Westview robotics club for competition fees, as this club participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition being held in Houston Texas. The entrance fee is $5000, hence only a portion in support. | My focus was on understanding the aspects of preparing and releasing the robot and providing mentoring feedback. Focus of my feedback was on the aspects of design that needed improvement to better aid in the release of a robot that was optimal. During this competition, at least two times the robot underperformed due to limitations that were not found during the preparation/release. However, the root issue was not the actions of the competition. With my support, I was able to guide the students to see that the root issue was a design that did not report or provide status on potential issues. For example, one of the servos was not operational, but the physical inspection and limited checks did not reveal the limits of operation. |
| Joel Petracci | GA-ASI | FRC Team NOMAD Inc., Escondido CA | Parts for building of the robot such as cables and motor controllers | Helped with development of robotics software and with tutoring students on the software engineering team. Helped students with troubleshooting and testing of robot. Coaching and strategy at the events to encourage good sportsmanship and problem solving |
| Max Warren | GA-EMS | University of Mississippi, Oxford MS | None | Networking with University of Mississippi School of Engineering Deans and Professors. Also participated in Senior Capstone Design presentations by listening to presentations and asking questions to Mechanical Engineering students |
| Aspen Richards | GA-EMS | Chapter One Tutoring; New Haven School Distric, CA | None | Each week I used the Chapter One platform to help Ethan with his reading skills. Ethan is a first grader at Emanuele ES Elementary with Cong Wu. These were 30-minute sessions where we would play games (like tic-tac-toe) and review flashcards. We would finish each session by reading as story. I was able to tell that Ethan’s reading improved as well as his confidence to learn new words. |
| Lorilee Kanner | GA | 5/13/2024 | Pivot Charter School – San Diego , San Marcos CA | None |
| Hannah Houze | GA-ASI | Chapter One Tutoring; New Haven School Distric, CA | None | Virtual online tutoring |
| Kelly Seiler Vocke | GA-ASI | Sunset Hills Elementary School, San Diego CA | Supplies for How the Cookie Crumbles activity such as graham crackers, plastic baggies, plastic wrap, foil, duct tape, masking tape, etc. | Hands on activity to cushion a cookie using materials off the approved supply list. The design requirements are to survive a drop, crush, and throw test.Introduced my job as an engineer, discussed and passed out aircraft parts, and led cookie crumbles activity. |
| Michelle Castro | GA-ASI | Pivot Charter School, San Marcos CA | None | We will be helping special education children with Robotics, Coding and Engineering. It’ll be about 20 students. Lead students to make paper stomp rockets. |
| Ayman Battikha | GA-ASI | The Clueless Robotics Club, San Diego CA | Purchase parts for the FTC robotics competition | 3D solid modeling tutoring in SoildWorks; Mentoring the team for mechanical engineering and design reviews. Chaperoned the Clueless team to the FTC World’s Championship competition held in Houston April 17-20, 2024. |
| Jose Humberto Lucero | GA-SI | Manzanita Elementary School, Tucson AZ | Consciot 2 Pack UV Flashlight Black Light, 51 LED 395nm Ultraviolet Blacklight. NEXTORCH 405nm UV Light UV Led Blacklight Flashlights. ACEGMET TR120E Thermal Imaging Camera, 120 x 90 IR Resolution Handheld Thermal Camera. Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Sets. | Volunteered/assisted STEM Integration Specialist with robotics and Investigating electrical circuits with little circuit boards called Makey Makey. |
| Tim Novinger | GA-ASI | Project Next Connect to Careers, San Marcos CA | None | Attended the Project Next, Connect to Careers event at the Twin Oaks Golf Club in San Marcos, CA. At this event I spent time with various high school students and acted as a mentor and coach to provide career and higher education advice as they prepare to enter college or their senior year in high school |
| Kyle Wirth | GA-ASI | L. R. Green Elementary, Escondido CA | 3 of: Surge Protectors 2 of: Sphero BOLTs 5 of: Storage Hard Case |
I taught the class how to make the spheros roll around in circles and squares via their coding applications. |
| David Johal | GA-ASI | Willow Grove Elementary School, San Diego CA | I will purchase chemistry supplies to support science booth experiments during STEAM night at school. | I will set up a science booth and conduct chemistry experiments for the children and explain GA-ASI engineering products. Chemistry lab preparation (3 hrs), print outs, booth set up and break down (1 hr), running booth (2 hrs), research (2 hrs), disposal (1 hr) |
| Christoph Hiemcke | GA-ASI | Aero Robotics Competition, IvyMax team, Escondido CA | The registration fee for each team is $450, so I gave the two teams I was working with (Vultures and Flying Objects) $250 each toward covering the registration. | I am serving as the coach (head mentor) for one of the ARC teams associated with IvyMax, which is an educational enrichment program for high school students from the San Diego region (www.ivymax.com). I provide advice to the students and coordinate with the parents, with IvyMax, and with the local chapter of ARC (headed by Kelsey Hite). I lead all of the team meetings and my role is to be a mentor who helps with all aspects, ranging from developing a strategy to building and coding the robot. I served as the mentor for all the IvyMax teams, but it ended up being two teams. I met with them at IvyMax each Saturday for the first couple of months, and then mostly at Patriot Park for the flying. |
| Chau Nguyen; Alexander Quan | GA-ASI | Maryland Avenue Elementary School, La Mesa CA | The funds were used to purchase Paper rocket supplies (cardstock, rocket templates, scissors, markets, tape, straws, crayons for younger students) for 12 classrooms, approximately 300 students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Each classroom received a Punguinauts book to read aloud. Additionally, STEM building kits were purchased and left with the first and second grade for future use. | Alex and Chau were in the classrooms on 6/3/24 and shared engineering experiences with the students. We talked about GA-ASI and the things we do and build. After answering engineering questions, we assisted with helping the students design and build paper rockets. Lower classes colored, taped and used the pre-designed rockets. The 3rd graders had the opportunity to start from scratch and design their rockets out of card stock and their imaginations. We were there to provide recommendations and guidance for all the students to be successful. After completion of each rocket, the students participated in a friendly completion of which rocket flew the furthest. Top 3 winners received a little prize for their work. |
| Kathreen Thome, Yanzheng Jiang, Auna Moser, Xi Chen, Shawn Tang, Lindsay Ward-Kavanagh, Sterling Smith, Thomas Osborne | GA | Young Women’s Conference in STEM San Diego, San Diego CA | Parking | GA employees participated in the Young Women’s Conference in STEM San Diego by helping organize the event, serving on and moderating the career panel, participating in the DIII-D exhibit and serving as a general volunteer for the event. |
| Kyle Aven | GA-EMS | Batesville Junior High, Batesville MS | None | I attended the 2024 Technology Student Association National Conference with a group of students competing in three categories: Electrical Applications, Junior Solar Sprint, and Microcontroller Design. I spent my time at the conference helping the students prepare for their tests, presentations, interviews, and hands on exams like circuit building. |