About: Our Mentors
We would not be able to do everything that we do without the knowledge and dedication of our amazing mentors. They bring technical experience and invaluable advice that furthers our mission of providing a positive high school team experience through robotics while inspiring intellectual creativity, fostering a passion for science, technology, and engineering, and developing critical thinking, problem solving, and team building skills. Learn more about them here!
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Garrison PriceHead Coach - Mechanical, ControlsGarrison works for the Navy as a civilian researcher with a focus on augmented and virtual reality. He has a BS in Computer Science from San Diego State University and is currently working towards a MS in Computer Science at his alma mater. He is a founding member of Team 3128 and focuses primarily on mechanical design. He is currently too busy to have any other hobbies but when he is able to sneak away from the workshop, he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and cooking. |
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Christine LowCoach - Mechanical, Marketing, TravelChristine Low holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island (go Rams!) and a Masters in Electro-Optical engineering from the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!). Attempted life as a Yankee in the South with Westinghouse Nuclear Fuels, but was whisked back to the north by her (now) husband, where she spent 20 years at Northrop Grumman (Chicago) in IR and UV aircraft missile defense. When she is not in the robotics workshop, you can find her gardening, sewing, at Crossfit, racing sailboats and attempting to learn to surf (very, very badly). |
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Pat MaynardCoach - Strategy, ControlsPat is no stranger to FIRST. He has been mentoring FRC Team 3128 since 2018 and prior to that he was a coach for several FLL teams competing in the SD area. He has a BSEE and worked for many years doing embedded software development, but currently he works as a Cloud Security Architect. He brings a wide variety of skills to the team including: wood working, coding, wiring, networking, and agile program management. |
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Lisa SaamMechanicalLisa is Vice President-Projects at ATA Engineering – an engineering services company – where she has worked for more than two decades doing analysis-driven mechanical design of structures ranging from satellites and launch vehicles to theme park attractions and aerospace ground support equipment. She received her M.S. in Structural Engineering from Cornell University, B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College, and B.A. in Management–Engineering from Claremont McKenna College. Lisa supports Team 3128 with parent communication, travel, and looks forward to working more with the mechanical department. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, yoga, and beach picnics. |
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Paul SaamLiaisonPaul has a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. He worked as a medical device engineer for two startups, driving them both out of business, before deciding to obtain his MBA at Duke University. He has spent the last 17 years working in Business Development for Zimmer Biomet, a global orthopedics company. He works primarily with the Business team, supporting the Robotics Summer Camp and acts as a liaison with the Canyon Crest Academy Foundation. |
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Fred LeeControlsFred has a B.S. in Electrical Enginering from Cornell University with an emphasis in digital signal processing. He started his career at a large company in San Diego, gloriously pulling cables out of cellular telecom equipment, before he realized software and Legos were his calling. He worked at several enterprise software company startups in the Bay Area before moving back to San Diego to pursue his ultimate passion in mobile application software. Incubating mobile application products on a fledgling “Android 1.0” mobile platform, he was unsuccessful in convincing executives to invest in this game changing mobile platform because it was “unproven with limited market potential”, and investments were better made in “tried and true mobile platforms that would stand the test of time” - Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry O/S... Fred spent the remainder of his career managing large mobile software engineering teams developing Android and iOS connectivity application products. In his spare time, he enjoys racing and breaking his Miatas at autocrosses and track day events or adding to his growing tool collection. |
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Sylvia ChanLiaison, TravelSylvia has a B.S. and M.S. in Nursing from UCLA. She has worked as RN and Nurse Practitioner in the past. Currently she is a charge nurse in Scripps Urgent Care Torrey Pines. Sylvia has been supporting Team 3128 since 2016. She is the team liaison. She helps in travel and meal planning during competition. She loves to travel, read and spending time with her family. Go Narwhals!! |
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Anna LeeLiaisonAnna Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Duesseldorf, Germany. She graduated from Brown University with degree in Biology. She then did some graduate work at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She loves to travel, cook, and collect LEGO sets. |
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Michael BrownControlsMichael Brown is a 25 year veteran of the software development industry. In that time he's helped develop time and attendance systems, semi-conductor manufacturing control systems and Laboratory Informatics systems for the pharmaceutical industry. For the last 5 years Michael has been a Director of Operations for both Cloud and Software Development. In that role he's been focused on tools and processes of R&D, making the teams more efficient and effective. Michael is committed to playing a role in developing the next generation of Software Developers who are going to be instrumental in solving some of the most important problems faced in the world today. |
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Wendy DimmockMarketingWendy’s introduction to robotics was when her son joined as a freshman. Now her daughter is a member and her youngest can’t wait to join the team! She has no engineering or computer background but loves to support her kids. After traveling with the team as a chaperone in 2022 she was hooked and joined the Narwhals herself as a Marketing Mentor. Outside of robotics Wendy is a Lactation Consultant and loves to read, travel with her family and watch football (Go Pack Go!). |
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Ningze SunControlsNingze has a mechanical engineering training background and a lot of project management experience. He really enjoys sharing his learning with the young adults in the team. He is quite amazed by the CCA FRC team talent and organization and is excited to be part of community! |
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Mayank TiwariStrategyMayank holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UCSD, specializing in signal and image processing. He is currently working as a Video and Vision Systems Engineer at Qualcomm Technologies Inc. He has been coaching/mentoring various FLL and FTC teams as well as actively volunteering for FIRST events since 2017. Mayank is currently a mentor for the strategy department and a parent volunteer for Team 3128. He greatly enjoys hiking/mountaineering and would like to climb Mt. Everest some day. |
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Christine Lau DizonMentorChristine graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2007 and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering with a concentration in manufacturing. She has eleven years in the oil and gas industry. Currently, she works at Solar Turbines where she has been a mechanical engineer, a process & instrumentation engineer, and now a controls engineer. In her free time, she enjoys being a member of Solar Turbines’ Solar Women Engineers (SWE), cycling, and spending time with her husband and two children. |
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Jessica XiangMentorJessica works for a defense startup as a instrumentation software engineer. She is an alumni of 3128 (‘16-‘19) and has a BS in Computer Science from Rose-Hulman. While in the Midwest, she worked with FRC 5188 as a non-technical mentor and volunteered at FIN events. She’s excited to be back and assist with marketing and travel planning. In her limited free time, she enjoys baking, beach volleyball, pottery, and exploring LA, where she is now based out of. |