Skip to content

Mobile Maker Lab Biographies for Spring 2019

   

Hector Alfaro

Team Leader

Hector Alfaro Jr is a third-year student pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. Alfaro is a Team Leader for the Engineering Service-Learning team, Mobile Maker Lab. This is his third semester participating in the Engineering Service-Learning program. Alfaro joined this team to gain practical hands-on experience. Alfaro has strong interests in software development and mobile development and plans to be working as a software engineer in the future. He enjoys being around family, friends, and helping others.

Helen Ayala

Communications Officer

Helen Ayala is a first- year Bioengineering student. Ayala is first generation student and comes from a very diverse background that has taught her to view many perspectives that she may not have seen if it weren’t for her background. Ayala choose the Mobile Maker Lab team, because it was a very hands on project that involved a lot of skills that she was not aware of how to complete. Ayala also choose this project because it had to do with helping children expand their minds to STEM which is what she is currently intersected in. Some of Ayala’s professional goals consist of her being able to speak confidently in front of others, along with being to communicate ideas throughly and thoughtfully.

Eric Chao

Team Member

Eric Chao is a third-year Computer Science and Engineering student pursuing a career in the field of virtual and augmented reality. Chao is both an avid gamer and archer, so he is a part of the Game Development Club and UC Merced archery team. As a team member on the Mobile Maker Lab Engineering Service Learning team, Chao is working to design a mobile lab that will address the low engagement in STEM in Merced County. Chao hopes to use this experience to better develop his professional skills and prepare him for the industry.

Sang (Derek) Hoang

Procurement and Finance Officer

Sang Hoang is a third-year student studying Management and Business Economics pursuing a career as an Economist. Hoang is currently an undergraduate research assistant to Dr. Justin Hicks in the UC Merced Economics department where he plans to apply his research experience to contribute to the success of the Mobile Maker Lab project. He joined the Mobile Maker Lab Engineering Service Learning team as the Procurement and Finance Officer to learn from his peers about the design process and hone his technical skills. After college, Hoang hopes to work in the financial sector in the vibrant San Francisco community as a financial analyst.

Brian Hungerman

Assistant Project Manager

Brian Hungerman is a third-year Computer Science and Engineering student and is currently the Assistant Project Manager for Engineering Service Learning’s Mobile Maker Lab team. He believes his successful experience at local hackathons and CITRIS’ Mobile App Challenge allows him to thrive in this role. He is heavily vested in campus organizations, including research positions in the VICE Lab and ANDES Lab. He also organizes HackMerced, a 300-person hackathon event. For the summer, Brian is looking forward to an internship at Microsoft. In his free time, he enjoys pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities at the UC Merced Venture Lab and designing games in Unity3D.

Jesus Mercado

Intellectual Property Officer

Jesus Mercado is a third year student pursuing his Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering. Mercado is the Intellectual Property Officer of the Mobile Maker Lab team. Mercado is excited to work for this project because he can help elementary students get a better understanding of STEM. He hopes that with more exposure to STEM, a thirst for knowledge will push the next generation of students to do research in the future. Mercado is currently interested in air quality problems and is researching the trends of ozone and nitrous oxides in California under the Sierra Nevada Research Institute.

Beatriz Morales Perez

Team Member

Josephine Mulherin

Team Member 

Josephine Mulherin is a fourth-year Physics student from Victorville, CA. Mulherin is a team member in the Mobile Maker Lab. She chose this team hoping she could get more people interested in the S.T.E.M. fields. She has previous experience working with high school children in El Capitan. She has interned at the Strategic Energy Innovations to help the school’s fleet become more sustainable. She plans to further her education by going to graduate school for Data analytics in hopes of becoming a Data Scientist.

Alexis Ortiz-Vasquez

Team Leader

Alexis Ortiz-Vasquez is a first year Mechanical Engineering student. As Team Leader on the Mobile Maker Lab team, he is working to encourage young students to pursue a degree in a STEM major through a hands-on approach to make learning more interesting. As a Merced County native, Ortiz-Vasquez has seen firsthand the lack of interest in any of the STEM majors among young students and the positive impact a UC project can have on a young child’s life. By learning important communication skills and design development, he hopes to learn how to manage a team and work cooperatively with colleagues to meet and exceed expectations on a project. After graduation, Ortiz-Vasquez plans to pursue a career in the construction industry with the hope of having proven skills to hold a leadership position in a company.

Alyssa Valdez

Project Manager

Alyssa Valdez is a fourth-year earth systems science major and the project manager of the Mobile Maker Lab Engineering Service Learning team. Valdez chose this project due to her passion for educational outreach and mutual goal of helping children achieve higher education. Her passion for sustainability has influenced her professional and academic affiliations in that she is the Vice Chair of Public Relations for the Student Sustainability Council and works for the Department of Sustainability as the Green Labs Intern and EcoRep Intern. She hopes to one day work for municipal government for the public works department, so she can further help the community.

Anthony Yang

Team Member

Anthony Yang is a fifth year Mechanical Engineering student focusing on mechanical aerospace production. Yang has designed a haptic cutting template for Advance Vision Science Inc.  Yang is a first year member of The Mobile Maker Lab, which is in charge of the designing a box truck to transport science projects. By joining the Mobile Maker Lab, Yang hopes to improve his skills computer software and to improve his knowledge of completing task and timelines for his customers. Yang plans on joining the aerospace industry to create efficient designs and maximize development time.