2013-2014 Team Members
Eric Moser
Andrew Siemens
Ryan Stelzer
Amanda Urquiza*
Brooke Williams
Alex Yudkovitz
* Team Lead
* Team Lead
TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
Andrew Siemens
Undergraduate, Sophomore, Aerospace Engineering, University of Arizona
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I’m currently a sophomore at the University of Arizona, majoring in Aerospace Engineering. I was born in Elk Grove, California and lived there until I was 14 when I moved to Parker, Arizona. From there I graduated high school as a junior and moved on to the University of Arizona. I enjoy playing video games and reading science fiction and fantasy books. I also like to wakeboard, snow ski, ride quads, and build things. I hope to use my major to work for a space company and help design something that actually goes into space.
Upon completing her mathematics and art degrees at the University of Arizona, Urquiza plans to further her education at graduate school and complete a doctoral degree in applied mathematics. Thereafter, she hopes to enter the workforce in the space industry. It is her belief that, now more than ever, it is imperative scientists and engineers from all backgrounds work as a collective group to promote and advance the research and development of space. In the future, Urquiza hopes to be able to use math and computational sciences to build models that will aid in reaching these goals.
Amanda Urquiza
Undergraduate, Senior, Mathematics, University of Arizona
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Amanda Urquiza is a senior at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Studio Art with a minor in Spanish. Urquiza's interests encompass a wide range of the sciences. Summer 2012, she worked on a research project regarding Reed-Solomon codes through the University of Louisiana's NSF funded STAGE program. Urquiza and her research team created a new decoding algorithm titled Division Algorithm Decoding. This is the third year Urquiza is involved in the statewide Arizona Space Grant Consortium program ASCEND!, and currently leads the project. For three years, Urquiza has been a member of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) UA chapter: a club in which members are devoted to promoting space exploration and development. Last year, she held the officer position for Outreach in the club where she searched for, and conducted student outreach opportunities for the club in the Tucson community. Presently, she is President of the organization.Upon completing her mathematics and art degrees at the University of Arizona, Urquiza plans to further her education at graduate school and complete a doctoral degree in applied mathematics. Thereafter, she hopes to enter the workforce in the space industry. It is her belief that, now more than ever, it is imperative scientists and engineers from all backgrounds work as a collective group to promote and advance the research and development of space. In the future, Urquiza hopes to be able to use math and computational sciences to build models that will aid in reaching these goals.
Alex Yudkovitz
Undergraduate, Sophomore, Systems Engineering, University of Arizona
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Alex Yudkovitz is a Sophomore at the University of Arizona studying systems engineering. Yudkovitz’ current focus is in aerospace and space exploration. He previously attended Virginia Tech, where he was on the ELLIE III High Altitude Balloon team. The goal of that mission was to fly a balloon and payload up to about 100,000 feet for atmospheric data collection and photography. During this time, Yudkovitz also worked on a team that designed a wind turbine technology optimized for capturing wasted energy from jet aircraft, and was awarded a patent pending. Yudkovitz currently holds a private pilot license with an instrument rating and about 200 hours of total flight time.
