SLP 2019

The UHCC Project Imua Team for the 2018-2019 project consists of faculty/staff members from Windward Community College (Windward CC) and Honolulu Community College (Honolulu CC).

Windward Community College Mentors

Joseph Ciotti: Principal Investigator & Project Imua Director/Manager

Joseph Ciotti is a Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics at Windward Community College. He is the founder and director of WCC's Center for Aerospace Education, and acts as the college's Associate Director for the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium. He designed WCC's Lanihuli Observatory as well as the planetariums at both WCC (Hōkūlani Imaginarium) and UH-Hilo ('Imiloa Astronomy Center). He also established the college's NASA AEL and serves as a NASA Space Ambassador.

Jacob Hudson, Jr.: Windward CC Mentor & Rocketry Coordinator

Jacob Hudson Jr. is a lecturer of Physics and Astronomy at Windward Community College. After receiving his Ph.D. in High Energy Particle Astrophysics, Hudson has maintained an active interest in aerospace studies and, in particular, rocket propulsion. Hudson is the Coordinator for the NASA Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL), part of the Center for Aerospace Education, and is the Associate Direcor for Rocketry in the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium. Hudson is a current member of both the National Association of Rocketry and Tripoli Rocketry Association. He is Level 3 certified in high power rocketry in both organizations.

Shidong Kan: Honolulu CC Mentor

Shidong Kan is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Honolulu Community College. He is the college's Associate Director of the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium (HSGC). Kan has taught various Physics courses at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and Honolulu Community College, including introductory physics, algebra based and calculus bases physics. He is also the Principle Investigator of a Federal Grant Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative II (PEEC II).

Helen Rapozo: Honolulu CC IT & Assistant Mentor

Helen Rapozo is an Information Specialist at Honolulu Community College. Helen helps the team with using the University of Hawaii collaboration software tools and public web page, and also assists by taking photographs and advising on controller programming. Helen also supervises the CAELUS (Center for Aerospace Education Launch for University Students) Section of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) based at Windward CC and the Model Rocketry Honolulu CC Mag group.

Mevan Ranasinghe: Assistant Payload Mentor

Mevan Ranasinghe is a lecturer who has been teaching Electrical Electrical, Civil Engineering and Physics classes at Honolulu Community College since January 2018. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Electrical Engineering (Signal Processing) and has been working in industry as an engineer for more than 10 years. He is involved as a mentor in Honolulu CC MAG as well as other student projects on campus.

Kerry Tanimoto: Assistant Payload Mentor

Kerry Tanimoto is an Associate Professor of Physics at Honolulu Community College. His doctoral research was in optical studies of novel thermodynamic phases exhibited in condensed matter systems. Tanimoto has taught a variety of physics courses, from conceptual to calculus based, and also teaches introductory astronomy on a regular basis.

Student Members

As a collaborative effort between four campuses within the UH system, the UHCC Project Imua Team is split into two major teams. The Vehicle Team consisted of students from Windward Community College. The Payload Team consists of students from Honolulu Community College.

In addition to the major teams, the team also consists of two further inter-campus teams: the Safety Team and the Media Team (Website Development). A summary of these teams and the assignments of students within these teams is summarized in our Organizational Chart for the NASA Student Launch Project.

Vehicle Team

The Vehicle Team is overseen by Joseph Ciotti and Jacob Hudson, of Windward CC. The team consists of students from WinCC, KapCC, and UHM.

Connor Smith: Team Lead (Windward CC)

Connor Smith is a level 2 certified member of the Tripoli High Powered Rocketry Association. Connor is a student at Windward Community College and is working towards his B.A. in Electrical Engineering at UH Manoa and an A.A. in Natural Science at WinCC.

Jared Estrada: Safety Officer (Windward CC)

Jared Estrada is currenly working towards his B.A. in Physics while simutaniously double majoring in mathamatics at UH Manoa. Furthermore he is working on his A.A. in Natural Science at Windward. Jared is also a level 2 certified member of the Tripoli High Powered Rocketry Association.

Connor Wilson (Windward CC)

Connor Wilson is pursuing his Associates in Network Communication and Technology at Windward Community College. Connor is in charge of updating the Project Imua website, while also assisting with rocket assembly and technical support.

Payload Team

The Payload Team is overseen by Shidong Kan, Kerry Tanimoto, Helen Rapozo, and Mevan Ranasinghe, of Honolulu CC. The team consists entirely of students from Honolulu CC.

Lindsey Agustin: Payload Co-Team Lead, Social Media Officer, and Payload Engineer (Electronics & Construction) (Honolulu CC)

Lindsey Agustin is currently pursuing an A.S. in Natural Science with a concentration in Engineering from Honolulu CC with the intention of pursuing a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from UH Manoa. Lindsey was a member of the UHCC team that participated in the ARLISS and XPRS events in 2019, where she received level 1 and level 2 certification in high-powered rocketry. She integrates her experience with both rockets and payloads to better equip her teamwith knowledge and ideas during discussions about implementing design ideas. Lindsey is the Payload Team Lead, Social Media Officer, and a Payload Engineer. While she enjoys exploring space-type systems, she highly values representing women and all underrepresented groups alike within the STEM field.

Mia Fong: Payload Co-Team Lead, Outreach Officer, and Payload Engineer (Electronics & Software Development) (Honolulu CC)

Mia Fong is currently pursuing an A.S. in Natural Science with a concentration in Engineering from Honolulu CC. She was a member of the UHCC team for Project Imua Mission 5, 6, and 7. She plans to pursue a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UH Manoa. Mia is very interested in combining modern science with Hawaiian culture to further connect sustainability practices. By utilizing ancestral knowledge and scientific processes in conjunction, she hopes to bring out the best in both. Mia is the Payload Co-Team Lead and a Payload Engineer. She plays a critical role in the design of the electronics and software development. In addition, Mia helps coordinate and run the team’s outreach events.

Leo Tanaka: Payload Safety Officer and Payload Engineer (Construction) (Honolulu CC)

Leo Tanaka is currently pursuing an A.S. in Natural Science with a concentration in Engineering from Honolulu CC and is planning to pursue a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Leo played a crucial role in the construction of the rover as a member of the UHCC team that participated in Project Imua Mission 7. Leo has been given the role of Payload Safety Officer and Payload Engineer and will play an important role in both the construction of the payload as well as the safety of his team members. He utilizes his past experience with payloads to mitigate possible safety hazards before and during payload construction.

Craig Opie: Payload Engineer (Deployment Trigger) (Honolulu CC)

Craig Opie is completing an A.S. Information Computer Science at Windward Community College and is a fourteen year Navy Submarine Veteran. He has extensive engineering and leadership experience from his time as a Chief Nuclear Reactor Operator and Technician. His hobbies include amateur radio (KK4RNF), computer programming, hiking, and spending time with his family. Craig is a Payload Engineer, focusing on the team’s Deployment Trigger and radio frequency tracking system.

Anna Gardner: Payload Engineer (Construction) (Honolulu CC)

Anna Gardner is currently an undergraduate student Natural Science major pursuing an A.S. from Honolulu CC with the intention of pursuing a B.S. in Astronomy from UH Manoa. She is fluent in Japanese and her future goal is to work on an Aerospace team and build connections between Japan and the USA to pursue unknown facts of the universe. By utilizing her bilingual abilities at ARLISS 2019, Anna was able to assist in communication between the English and Japanese teams. Anna has been assigned the role of Payload Engineer and is responsible for assisting in the construction of the payloads.

Danthone Buyacao: Payload Engineer (Construction) (Honolulu CC)

Danthone Buyacao is currently pursuing an A.S. in Natural Sciences with a concentration in Engineering at Honolulu CC with intentions of pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering at UH Manoa. Danthone is able to speak Ilokano and Tagalog languages fluently. He hopes to represent minorities in the STEM fields as well as first generation college students trying to find their place in society. Danthone is assigned the role of Payload Engineer assisting with construction and testing.

Anthony Lopez: Payload Engineer (Electronics & Software Development) (Honolulu CC)

Anthony Lopez is currently pursuing an A.S. in Natural Science with a concentration in Engineering at Honolulu CC with intentions of pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UH Manoa. Anthony has an extensive background in engineering from his time as an Electrical Operator and Electrician during his six years in the Navy. He is focused and motivated in designing of the electronics and software development as a Payload Engineer. With his teamwork and determination, Anthony will play a vital role in the overall development of the payload.