Name: Aaron Norris

Team: Electrical

How long you’ve been in Engineering: involved since 7^th grade (c. 1999)

Leadership Position Description (what you do as the team leader): I do what leaders are supposed to do.  I work with those who are under me and teach them to work safely around the electrical equipment.  I also teach them to work with batteries, diodes, resistors, and other electrical components.  Ultimately, I aim to make them familiar with common electrical circuits and terminology.  I also end up doing some damage control, when I fail to work with my people sufficiently.  Occasionally I get the chance to wire some cars, fix some of Botball’s motors, etc.

What got you interested in Engineering in the first place: My 7th grade year, the Los Altos Academy of Engineering approached my science teacher and proposed middle school robotics.  I joined and was hooked from then on.  I also had programming and a pre-engineering class during my eighth grade year.  I was interested even before that though; I would have to credit that interest to my dad.

Favorite thing about Engineering:  The experiences and the people are the best part of this program.  The people are what make being here in engineering worthwhile on a normal day.  I have had a blast at the competitions though.  I’ve enjoyed all that I’ve done, and have grown a lot.

Most memorable moment in Engineering:  They all have been so memorable; it is hard to choose one.  Every competition that I’ve been to and projects I’ve worked on has stuck in my mind.  The first mistake that I made is one of the most memorable out of these experiences.  I sparked a pair of batteries right before the competition.  I was okay, but that event has led me to really consider that I should think before I do.

Projects Worked On and what grade you were in:

Middle School Robotics (7^th, 8^th)

Botball (9^th)

Solar Boat (10^th, 11^th, 12^th)

SkillsUSA (10^th)

Solar Car (10^th, 11^th)

Fuel Cell Car (10^th, 11^th, 12^th)

DARPA (12^th)

Jr. Dragster (11^th)

Evaporative Cooler (10^th)

JPL Invention Challenge (11^th)

Future Plans: I’m headed to Cal Poly Pomona, and hopefully a career in the space industry.  I want to major in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, and work for agencies like NASA, Bell Electronics, JPL, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, or the government.  I am also looking into Edison, and some other Southern California companies.  Eventually, I want to work on robots and the possibility of micro robots in space.  Sometime after I’m rich, I would like to continue my education.