President - Aakaash Tirumalaraju
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Bio:
Aakaash Tirumalaraju originally started as a member of the structures sub-team for NASA Student Launch as a freshman. During his time at ARA, he loved the hands-on work and experiences, as the long hours working on the rocket felt very rewarding. He also found the rocket launch days were particularly exciting and full of valuable knowledge that could be applied to the next rockets the team built and future engineering projects in general. This year, he is excited to lead all 3 teams to success as President of the organization. Outside of the organization, he enjoys playing video games, playing sports, and going to the gym. He also enjoys automotive engineering and repairing vehicles. |
Contact: [email protected]
Vice President - Zariah Washington
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Bio:
Zariah has been a member of ARA for the last two years as a member of the IREC Structures sub-team and as Project Manager for IREC. In her time in ARA, she’s gained experience in composites and manufacturing. Last year, she led IREC’s competition team to Midland, TX where they successfully launched NOVA. Outside of rocketry, she enjoys baking, reading, and gardening. |
Contact: [email protected]
Treasurer - Michael Steffin
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Bio:
Michael joined ARA in his freshman year as a member of the liquids structures team and was elected to be treasurer for his sophomore year. He’s always loved aerospace and engineering in general. |
Contact: [email protected]
Lab Safety Officer - Zane Joyce
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Zane is an Aerospace Engineering student, mostly interested in propulsion and liquid rocketry. He has worked on liquid test infrastructure and design and has gained extensive experience in proper documentation. Outside of ARA, he enjoys birding, photography, and cooking. |
Contact: [email protected]
Public Relations Officer - Stephen Frank
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Bio:
Stephen has been a member of the Structures sub-team for Liquids his Freshman year to help design and simulate the structure for FAR DPF rocket. This year, he is excited to help grow the outreach of the organization through public relations. Outside of ARA, he enjoys playing video games, golfing, working on cars, enjoying the outdoors, and 3d printing. |
Contact: [email protected]
Liquids Project Manager - William Morelli
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Bio:
I’ve been apart of ARA for 2 years as a member of the Liquids Propulsion Sub-team. I’ve gotten to work on things like the pressurant diffuser and igniters and witness some of our most interesting hot fires. Some hobbies/fun facts are I ran a marathon just a couple of months ago, and I’m (secretly) a fighter jet enthusiast. |
Contact: [email protected]
Liquids Chief Engineer - Benjamin McCaslin
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Bio:
Previously, he worked as avionics lead for the Friends of Amateur Rocketry Dollar Per Foot Challenge, where he learned a ton building data acquisition and control systems. He has always had a strong interest in rocketry and aerospace, and is really excited to see this project fly. In his free time, he enjoys going hiking, reading books, and watching movies. |
Contact: [email protected]
Solids IREC Project Manager - Will Varisco
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Contact: [email protected]
Solids IREC Chief Engineer - Molly Jones
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Bio:
Molly has been a member of the IREC structures sub team as well as Structures team lead. She has helped design and construct the airframe for IREC rockets. In ARA she has gained experience in composite materials and manufacturing. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, playing piano, and cooking. |
Contact: [email protected]
Solids NSL Project Manager - Katherine Cooper
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Bio:
Katherine has been a member of the structures team on both solid rocket teams and is excited to manage the NSL Competition Team this year! She is also the president of the aerospace honors society and a learning assistant for the College of Engineering. In her free time, she likes to read, watch football with friends, and snow ski (when she’s not in Alabama)! |
Contact: [email protected]
Solids NSL Chief Engineer - Harrison Davis
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Bio:
Harrison joined ARA in the fall of ‘26 and became a member of the NSL payload team. He became heavily involved in the full-scale design of the payload. In ARA, he have learned system design, and 3d design, and additive manufacturing. |