Meet our Team!
Use the dropdown to see more information about a LUNAR team from a previous academic year!
Overview
The 2024-2025 team consists of 28 members which are broken into 6 total sub-teams. Each of the sub-teams are made up of a manager and 2-6 additional members. The following sections outline each sub-team along with its key roles and duties.
Sub-teams
Avionics & Flight Computers
Designs and programs custom flight computers, circuits, and software supporting data collection, payload, and control systems.
- PCB design and embedded firmware
- Sensor integration and telemetry
- Data acquisition & analysis
Active Controls
Designs and implements control systems that stabilize and guide the vehicle during flight.
- PID & adaptive control algorithms
- Simulation & system modeling
- Collaboration with Avionics for real-time feedback
Vehicle
Responsible for the structural and aerodynamic design of the launch vehicle. Ensures stability, performance, and safe recovery from launch to landing.
- Airframe design and structural analysis
- Materials selection and composite fabrication
- Recovery systems design and testing
Manufacturing
Specializes in the production, assembly, and quality assurance of rocket components.
- Maching and 3D printing custom parts
- Composite layups and mold creation
- Tooling, integration, and assembly support
Payload
Designs and integrates the payload experiment to meet competition requirements.
- Scientific experiment design and testing
- Integration with avionics and recovery systems
- Data collection and post-flight analysis
Business
Plans events (fundraisers, open house, STEM engagement, etc.), manages social media content, tracks expenses and inventory, and coordinates sponsorships.
- Organize STEM engagement events
- Maintain sponsor relations and fundraising
- Oversee team branding and outreach
Team Leads and Management
Ana Morfin
Co-Team Lead
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Team oversight, project management, supervision of the recovery, payload, and business teams, integration of technical requirements outlined in the handbook, responsible for final engineering decisions, implementation of FMEA, CFD, and CONOPS development.
Ana is currently a senior mechanical engineering student and took part in the NASA USLI competition last year as the recovery manager for Lamar’s debut year in the competition. This year, alongside Jonah, Ana has made extensive efforts to spread her knowledge to grow the presence of aerospace organizations on campus. Ana is currently the Vice President of the Lamar University AIAA chapter and looks forward to getting a chance to participate in NASA Student Launch again this year with a bigger and better team.
Jonah Watts
Co-Team Lead
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Team oversight, project management, supervision of the avionics, vehicle, and sub-team support teams, integration of technical requirements outlined in handbook, supervision of testing, implementation of CAE, FEA, and simulations.
Jonah is currently a senior mechanical engineering student and took part in the NASA USLI competition last year as the avionics team manager. This year, alongside Ana, he has contributed to the outreach and growth of the rocketry team at Lamar which has almost tripled in size since last year. Jonah is currently the President of the Lamar University AIAA chapter and looks forward to hopefully competing in Student Launch again this year.
Lizbeth Villalpando
Payload Manager
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Design of payload, management of payload team, CFD, Integration of Payload into Vehicle
Matthew Flores
Vehicle Manager
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Aerodynamics, CFD, Vehicle, Design, Management of Vehicle Team, FEA
Kathryn Brown
Recovery Manager
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Recovery Sub-System Design, Management of Recovery Team
Isabella Sandino
Business/Procurement Manager
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Financing, Procurement, STEM Engagement Planning, Social Media Upkeep, Scheduling
Jose Luis Vasquez
Sub-Team Support Manager
Mechanical Engineering Senior
Management of the Sub-Team Support Team, General Design, Mission Support Documentation, Avionics Support
Ryan Bell
Avionics Manager
Electrical Engineering Senior
Controls, Electronics, Data Analysis, Design of all Avionics Systems, Management of the Avionics Team
Team Advisors and Mentors
Dr Yao, Chun-Wei
Faculty Advisor Mentor
Dr. Yao is an Associate Professor at Lamar University within the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He holds his Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a M.S. in Engineering Science from National Taiwan University. His research includes investigations into topics such as Hydrophobic Coating and Microdroplets. Yao’s academic interest covers a variety of topics including programming, manufacturing analysis, materials science, statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. Dr. Yao has been at Lamar University for 10 years and has had a tremendous impact on his students. He is currently the faculty advisor for the Lamar University AIAA Chapter and the LUNAR Rocketry Team.
Dr. Jenny Zhou
Faculty Mentor Mentor
Jenny Zhou is currently a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. Dr. Zhou received both her B.S. and M.S. degree in Mechanical engineering from Chongqing University in 1985 and 1988, respectively. In 2003, she earned a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research interests include dynamic responses and vibrations of micro-electronic systems, Plant Biomechanics, multi-scale and multi-physics modeling and research in engineering education.
Jacob Ammel
Team Mentor Mentor
Jacob Ammel is an Alumni from Lamar University where he obtained his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. Jacob is the founder of the first rocketry club in Spring 2023, exposing Lamar students to high power rocketry. He led his capstone project and obtained his L1 and L2 certifications. He currently works at CACI at Johnson Space Center as a systems engineer. Jacob was the mentor for the 2024 NASA Student Launch.
Randolph Marek
Team Tripoli Mentor Mentor
Randy is currently LUNAR’s Tripoli mentor and holds his B.S. in Chemical Engineering. In addition, he is a licensed control systems engineer in the state of Texas. Randy is the Tripoli Houston Rocket Club Vice President and a TRA Prefect & NAR Section Officer. His first year mentoring the Lamar University Rocketry Team was 2023-2024 where he provided the team with a launch site for their milestones in the USLI competition and provided design and document review for the team. Randy has also been instrumental in helping the team educate new members on the basics of rocket science by providing information sessions and sharing his experience with rocketry to the club.
Members
| Name | Classification | Major | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Sifuentes | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Payload |
| Wyatt Just | Freshman | Mechanical Engineering | Payload |
| Elickxander Verdulla | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Payload |
| Jase Gault | Senior | Mechanical Engineering | Vehicle / Structures |
| Joseph Withers | Senior | Mechanical Engineering | Vehicle / Structures |
| Trystan Hays | Freshman | Electrical Engineering | Vehicle / Structures |
| Grace Huckaby | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Vehicle / Structures |
| Tyler Casey | Senior | Mechanical Engineering | Recovery |
| Ronald Mouser | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Recovery |
| Diana Rodriguez | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Recovery |
| Haley Hidalgo | Sophomore | Industrial Engineering | Business / Procurement |
| Gabriel Kirkwood | Freshman | Electrical Engineering | Business / Procurement |
| Dylan Bailey | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Sub-Team Support |
| Dominick Fox | Freshman | Mechanical Engineering | Sub-Team Support |
| Kayla Anderson | Freshman | Mechanical Engineering | Sub-Team Support |
| Landon Paulino | Junior | Electrical Engineering | Avionics |
| Kirby King | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Avionics |
| John Rice | Junior | Mechanical Engineering | Avionics |