Mentors

By endlessly providing time, resources, and energy, Quixilver mentors enable FIRST Team 604 to build outstanding robots, phenomenal outreach programs, and excellent leadership skills. They routinely astound and assist team members with mechanical, electrical, programming, and machining expertise. Thank you, mentors of FIRST Team 604, for your most impressive work. We greatly appreciate your support!

Note: Mentors whose name appears in italics were recipients of the Woodie Flower's Finalist Award.

	Mrs. Arrington Endlessly handling management since the teams inception, Mrs. Arrington is Team 604's most esteemed founding mentor. She spends countless hours supervising team Quixilver not only during build season but during the off-season as well. Her winning nomination for the Woodie Flowers Award can be read here.
Mrs. Best Unquestionably the most present volunteer and "best" mentor in town. Housing a mill, lathe, and robotics family, her tolerance for tech-geeks is stunning. Her overwhelming kindness has developed team 604 into the fine students we are today. Her winning nomination for the Woodie Flowers Award can be read here.
	Mr. Mori Involved in FIRST ever since 1999, Mr. Mori has been lending his mechanical expertise to Team 604 ever since helping re-start the team in 2005. He has taught us how to think outside of the box, which has become a crucial skill during crunch time. He further aids the team by lending countless hours in his company's machine shop, allowing the team to fabricate the team robot. His winning nomination for the Woodie Flowers Award can be read here.
Mr. Arrington Mr. Arrington does it all. He can be a structural rocket engineer and a helping hand at traveling tournaments; whatever the team needs. His advice and analysis of our design concepts during team design reviews allows us to be sure that our design is a stable solution to the challenges ahead. This rock solid mentor keeps the team upright and focused on the goals that make team 604 as unique as its students.
	Mr. Best This engineering expert's endless wealth of knowledge help make team Quixilver the "best". Any problem ranging from programming to electrical issues to mechanical design, this mentor is always there to lend a helping hand. Located in his tool-filled garage, milling and machining sessions take place for members of the mechanical team while in his free time he supports student led programming workshops for those hoping to excel in their code skills.
Mrs. Brasher Building a robot requires communication. Conversing with teammates is easy, but speaking to large groups at demos and team presentations, as wel as talking to judges can be a daunting task. Enter Mrs. Brasher, the Leland Speech and Debate head coach. By coaching numerous Team 604 members, Mrs. Brasher has helped shape Quixilver's outreach program, and made many a team member comfortable in speaking to large groups.
	James Best Co-President of Quixilver in 2010, James Best, the talented son of Mr. and Mrs. Best, now offers us his expertise in mechanical engineering. He currently studies Mechanical Engineering at Harvey Mudd College, but is always more than willing to provide us with help in design and manufacturing.
Eugene Fang Co-President of Quixilver and Silicon Valley Regional Dean’s List Finalist in 2010, Eugene now returns to advise us in various areas, from mechanical design to software development to award submissions. Studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley means that he is close enough to visit and give us technical support. He is also involved with the FIRST community as a mentor for FIRST Team 1323 and as a main developer for The Blue Alliance.
	Mrs. Subramaniam Mrs. Subramaniam, a teacher at Graystone Elementary, who give continuous support in various areas. She frequently visits and offers us assistance with award submissions and business plan writings. She provides the team with constant support and is always by its side.
Ryan Epperson This mechanical wizard knows his stuff. After graduating from four years of involvement in FIRST, he quickly sprang back to robotics by joining our team as a mentor. He offers knowledgeable advice that student prototyping often needs. We are greatly thankful for his assistance.
	Kunal Mehta Co-President of Quixilver in 2012, Kunal now helps the team with general advice and with award submissions. Despite being far away studying Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kunal still manages to help the team with his invaluable experience. He is also involved with the FIRST community as a contributor to The Blue Alliance.
Tej Modi Vice President of Quixilver in 2012, Tej now provides insight on various aspects of team aspects, including team management. He currently studies Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley and is always on hand to help us when needed.
	Mr. Fang Never seen without his trusty camera, his devotion to Team 604 has been overwhelming. Mr. Fang is knowledgeable in both technical skills and creating films and demonstrates his ability to help the team whenever possible. His immense creativity has helped the team win many an award.
Mrs. Fang Sometimes it is difficult to pick a specific project or area in which she has mentored, but make no mistake, she is without a doubt a valuable mentor. Whether she is supervising shop time, helping Mr. Fang as he helps us with our media productions, or bouncing between whatever tasks are being completed at the moment, Mrs. Fang is an integral part of the close-knit family of Quixilver mentors.
	Mr. Samuel Our team has overwhelming support by mechanical and electrical mentors. Mr. Samuel, one of our corporate mentor, spent endless hours helping the team with CAD (Computer Aided Design). This necessary fusion of the two distinct aspects of robot design streamlined our build process tremendously. Guiding the team’s design and build members through the tricks and trials of the monstrous 3D software was no easy task, so hats off to our very own schematic scholar.
Natalie Mukhtar President of Quixilver in 2009, Natalie has continued to support the team since graduating and most recently helped start a partnership with Elevation360 which has allowed the team to extend it's outreach to Africa. By extending Team 604's horizon, Natalie has greatly assisted the team in its pursuit of global outreach.
	Mrs. Zafiropoulos Building a robot requires a lot of small projects, parts, and personnel to come together at the right time and place. She is the conqueror of logistical lunacy. She keeps the team running by teaching project management (though it can be hard to stomach for some) and making sure our supply lines stay open. Having a path to follow when the pressure pours on is extremely valuable.
Mr. Zafiropoulos Kudos for trying to pronounce this mentor’s name. Mr. Z helps Team 604 tremendously by donating huge amounts of material and time from his intensely busy schedule. With his support, we are able to build prototypes on-call and on time.
	Ms. Wone It's hard to find a mentor as dedicated and talented mentor as Ms. Wone. She continuously provides assistance with business/team management and spends many hours supervising the team. We are extremely grateful to Ms. Wone, a truely exceptional mentor and a crucial part of our team.
Alec Simpson Co-President of Quixilver in 2012, Alec now continues to support us by reviewing mechanical designs and helping with manufacturing. He even lets our team use his self-built CNC machine for fabrication of robot parts. He is also involved with the FIRST community as a mentor for FIRST Team 1323 and as an employee of West Cost Products.

Site last updated on March 7th, 2013

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