Arvin Niro

Profession & Company:

Mechanical Engineer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF

Education Background:

BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa

What made you decide to become a mentor for Kapolei Robotics?

I wanted to be the mentor I wish I had when I was on the team.

When I was a student on the team from 2008 - 2010, I didn't know anything about building a robot. We were still a new team, and so everyone was learning how to build and program a robot. I relied heavily on my teachers for help and guidance and they did a great job during the early years. Once I graduated, I made it an effort to return each year to help teach and mentor the next group of students, to help pass down knowledge and skills I've learned over the years. 

Fast forward 15 years, and I'm still here mentoring this team, I just can't seem to get away! I've seen every robot we've designed, every competition we entered, and every student who went through the program. Mentoring this team has been very rewarding and I hope to be the mentor that has an impact on a student's life.

Hobbies & Interests:

Cars & automotive motorsports, photography, theme parks, traveling & exploring new food.

Interesting fact(s) about you.

I designed and built the suspension system for a Formula SAE car in my senior year at UH Manoa.