My approach is all about student engagement (which is critically lacking with COVID virtual learning) and expert personal feedback.
Students practice collaborative and creative problem solving while learning the fun and excitement of being Rocket Scientists.
Students are challenged weekly to think critically about the real life decisions in designing and launching rockets, through which they learn the fundamentals and first principles of rocket science- not only the technical skills but the equally important process skills of collaborative problem solving.
Rocket Team Coach at Chattanooga Prep and Elon Musk's school Ad Astra. 5 years in Vehicle Engineering at spaceX and 4x NASA student launch national champion. Currently Founder of Tiger Team University and Executive Director at the STEM non-profit TechTown- I am bridging the gap between engineering, education, and entrepreneurship.
While technically I was trained as an engineer in the classroom, the majority of my learning has come from setbacks, failures, and curious tinkering on a variety of ambitious projects outside the classroom, such as the cutting edge programs at SpaceX and my role as president of the Vanderbilt Aerospace Team, leading the program to its 4th consecutive National Championship in NASA’s student launch competition. This growth was only possible thanks to nurturing mentors and the motivated teams around me.
Mission: To give students an opportunity to learn the principles of success on innovative, fast paced engineering projects through a project based learning experience.
Education: Vanderbilt University: School of Engineering, Nashville, TN May 2016
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Undergraduate Honors Program
Mechanical Engineering GPA: 3.93/4.0 Cumulative GPA: 3.72/4.0
Engineering
Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Lab Nashville, TN 2012-2016
Experience: President
• 4x NASA University Student Launch Initiative national champions
• Led team to national victory using balance of technical and collaborative skills
• Coordinated efforts between design, manufacturing, analysis, launch, report writing and presentation, engine development and safety
SpaceX Hawthorne, CA 2015-2020
Dynamics Engineer II
• Analyzed and tested structural dynamics of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket, Dragon 2 crew capsule, and Starlink satellite constellation at vehicle and sub-component level
• Responsible for the qualification of Starlink Satellite design to harsh launch environments at the program level
• Communicated critical technical updated at program level on Starlink constellation program
• Created innovative structural analysis methodology that allowed for rapid reusability of Falcon 9 rocket
• Developed test plans for random vibration, shock, acoustic, and modal tests of subcomponents and full vehicles across all SpaceX programs
• Created and implemented methodologies for response limited vibration testing and analysis and wrote department wide technical memos
• Performed coupled loads analysis and random vibration analysis using the finite element method across all SpaceX programs to ensure mission success
• Standardized department wide methodologies for dynamic analysis for consistency, efficiency, and reliability
• Devoted significant time to mentorship and training of new team members and was instrumental in their technical development and recruitment
Design of Advanced Strain Energy Accumulator Nashville, TN Summer 2014-Current
Undergraduate Researcher-Laboratory for System Integrity and Reliability
• Developed 150 psi hydraulic test rig for proof-of-concept testing of Hydraulic Accumulator
• Designed and Manufactured pneumatic accumulators for use as exhaust gas recovery vehicles
Structural Health Monitoring of Boeing Composite Beams Columbia, SC Summer 2013
Undergraduate Researcher- Laboratory for Active Materials and Smart Sensors
• Performed Electromechanical Impedance Spectroscopy and Pitch-Catch Wave Propagation tests on Beams under load using Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors
Business Tiger Team University (tigerteamu.com) Chattanooga, TN 2020
Experience: Founder, Owner
• Founded educational institution with the purpose of bring exciting design challenges to high school and college students and mentoring them through the principles of collaborative problem solving.
TechTown (non-profit) Chattanooga, TN 2020
• Executive Director
Honors: Vanderbilt Department of Engineering Leadership Award || McClesky Honors Scholarship
National Merit Scholarship || Vanderbilt Engineering Honors Program
I knew Andrew for many years as a coworker and friend at SpaceX where I work as a Lead Dynamics Engineer. Andrew is a highly capable engineer with a very strong math background and skill set. I observed him training newer team members several times and he always challenges people to achieve their best and develop deep understanding through example-based instruction. I can highly recommend Andrew for engineering and math instruction or tutoring.
Andrew is passionate about helping students learn while making it fun, engaging, and relevant to them. As his wife I have a front row seat to his work with young people and I know he is a favorite. Full of energy and helps students think outside the box.
Andrew is not only a brilliant engineer, but an engaging and fun teacher. He knows how to distill complex topics into what's actually important and deliver it a way that doesn't feel like boring schoolwork. Highly recommend.
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