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The Team

Team AMORE started as a Senior Project team in 2021. As part of their Senior Project, they started the LSSU RobotX Club. Team AMORE has had four senior projects since its creation, which we hope to continue into the future.

Current Members

Alexander Besonen

Club President

Zander is a senior majoring in Computer Engineering. He is also certified in Space Operations. He will be graduating May 2026! He is interested in working with Industrial and Collaborative Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry 4.0. Currently she is working on designing a cheap and easy to learn 6 axis robotic arm to help teach the next generation of STEM students about robotics!

Landon Westerby

Club Vice President

Landon is an undergraduate student graduating in 2027 with a bachelor's degree in Robotics Engineering. He is interested in Mobile Robotics and is sharpening his skills in Arduino, Matlab, and C Programing. He participated Vex Robotics throughout High School and has continued his interest into College. In his free time he enjoys reading, playing guitar, sports, and learning more programming.

Nathan VanAntwerp

Club Secretary

Nathan is a junior undergraduate student graduating in 2027 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is familiar with software such as PTC CREO Parametric, Mathworks MATLAB, and the C Programming Language, as well as various manufacturing processes. Outside of class, he is also involved with various other clubs on campus, including student chapters of IEEE and ASME; he is the treasurer and vice president of these clubs respectively. In his free time, he enjoys working on various projects and playing in the LSSU Pep Band.

John Kowalski

Club Treasurer

John is a sophomore undergraduate Robotics Engineering student at LSSU. He already has experience with engineering through the CTE Mechatronics class at Rudyard High School, as well as participation in First Robotics Competition year 2021-2022 on team 5709, Square One Underwater IVD Challenge in 2022-2023, and MATE ROV competition in 2023-2024. As the main programmer on the Square One and MATE teams, the competitions have given him plenty of experience with Arduino programming. In his free time, John enjoys learning new programming languages, playing video games, and building and maintaining PCs.

Hailey Greenleaf

Social Media Manager

Hailey is a sophomore undergraduate student at LSSU majoring in Robotics and Computer engineering. She has STEM experience from FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad, and was a Code.org Ambassador during her senior year of high school. Currently, she is the social media manager for Team Amore. Outside of classes she works on campus and enjoys figure skating. She is also a member of the Lake State Pep Band and is the Secretary of LSSU's Society of Women Engineers chapter.

Christopher Bohm

Christopher Bohm is a Robotics Engineering Major at LSSU. He will graduate in December 2025. He has interest in mobile robotics and their applications. Chris is proficient many programming languages like C, C++, Matlab and Python. In his free time he enjoys working on his family farm and lifting weights.

Daniel Twining

Dan is a senior dual Robotics Engineering and Mathematics major at LSSU. He is interested in mobile robotics and has a strong background programming with C, Arduino, and MATLAB, and also hands-on experience with industrial Fanuc and KUKA manipulators. Dan is proficient in CAD software such as Onshape, Fusion 360, and Creo Parametric, and has honed his skills with 3D printing and has several years of experience manufacturing custom parts and rapid prototyping.

Website

Sam Harman

Sam is a senior undergraduate student at LSSU majoring in Robotic Engineering with a minor in mathematics. He will graduate in Spring of 2026. He is interested in Programming and has a strong background in Matlab, C, Arduino, and Python. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing percussion in the LSSU band and reading.

Caleb Lieurance

Caleb Lieurance is a sophomore undergraduate Robotics Engineering student at LSSU. He has STEM experience from the CTE Mechatronics, and the CTE Cabinetry and Furniture Manufacturing classed from Rudyard High School. As well as from participating in FIRST Robotics competitions in the 2019-2020 through 2021-2022 seasons with team 5709 on their design and build sub-teams, Square One underwater IVD competition in 2022/2023 on a two person team, and the 2023/2024 MATE ROV Ranger class competition as a designer and as the leader of the stand alone depth probe sub-team. He has experience with CAD design through OnShape, Basic CNC programming through V-carve, and Light Burn. And is proficient in 3D printer and CNC laser maintenance. In his free time he enjoys CAD, 3D printing, and computer and phone repair.

Draven Klein

Draven is an undergraduate student completing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. His strong suits include mechanical design, CAD modelling, good work ethic and teamwork. Draven enjoys playing video games, listening to music, drawing, and experiencing stories. After graduating from LSSU, Draven wants to work in aerospace with NASA or SpaceX.

Alumni

Team AMORE is built on the foundation of a strong, passionate alumni network. Their achievements, dedication, and support continue to inspire us as we innovate and grow. Team Amore thrives because of the legacy they’ve left and their ongoing commitment to our success!

Meet Our Alumni!

Advisors

Dr. Edoardo Sarda

Edoardo is the faculty adviser of Team AMORE; he is an Assistant Professor of Robotics Engineering at Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, USA. His expertise is in autonomous vehicles, mobile robotics, human-robot collaboration, automated systems, and modern control. He is also a former RobotX competitor. Edoardo’s hobbies include downhill skiing, scuba diving, Formula 1, and traveling.

Dr. Travis Moscicki

Travis is a professional liaison to Team Amore. He recently finished his Ph.D. at Florida Atlantic University, and now works for NIWC Pacific. A lover of the robotics community, Travis competed in five RoboBoat’s, three RobotX’s, one VRX, and attended the 2017 RobotX Forum.

Mario Miranda

Supporting Team Amore as an industry outreach professional, Mario is a Systems Architect & Engineering Project Manager for Sparton Corporation, a Tier 1 Navy provider for undersea warfare solutions. He brings engineering experience as a specialist in the development of underwater unmanned systems. Prior to joining Sparton, Mario has worked as a civilian for Government facilities, including legacy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SPAWAR-PAC), now Naval Warfare Information Center Pacific (NIWC-PAC), at their Bayside Robotics Laboratory in San Diego, California with his focus in underwater vehicle development pertaining to propulsion system optimization; as well as part of the Atlantic Center for the Innovation Design and Control of Small Ships (ACCeSS) consortium within the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Carderock Division with his focus in acoustic localization and underwater navigation & guidance. More recently prior to joining Sparton, Mario held position as an Ocean Systems Engineer at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, followed by Systems Engineer at legacy Harris Corporation’s Space and Intelligence Systems (SIS) segment within the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) group in development of recently launched and newly operating low Earth orbit (LEO) space vehicles and satellite communication systems. Prior to and during the merge of L3Harris Technologies, Mario spent several years as, both, Advanced Concepts Engineer (ACE) and Chief Systems Engineer (CSE) for the Maritime Systems group in development of underwater vehicles with specialized robotic manipulation capabilities. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) degree, Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree and is in candidacy for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.c.) all in Ocean Engineering with a specialty in underwater multi-modal acoustic and optical communication systems from Florida Atlantic University’s SeaTech, Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering. He was also a competitor of the inaugural RobotX competition in 2014.