Meet Your 2022-23 E-Board

Core E-Board

Alex Herrera

President

Hi everyone I’m Alex Herrera and I’m a junior mechanical engineering major. I joined AIAA because I’ve always been fascinated by space and I wanted to launch my aerospace career. This past summer I was a mechanical engineer for the NASA L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy where we designed a climber that could look for biosignatures in caves on Mars. Since Stony Brook doesn’t have a formal aerospace program, my goal is to be able to give exposure to the aerospace industry to as many students as possible. One day I hope to work on Mars rovers and I hope to contribute to a greener aerospace future.

Andy Lin

Vice President

Hey everyone! My name is Andy and I am a senior also studying Mechanical Engineering. I originally joined AIAA because the projects that were active at the time caught my eye, but I stayed because of all the amazing people I've met in the club since then. As someone who has always been passionate about the aerospace sector, it was disheartening to see the lack of opportunities on campus. That is why my goal is to help this club and its members get more exposure through events, workshops, and projects! Fun fact about me: I've previously interned at GE Aviation and Collins Aerospace.

Raees Bacchus

Secretary

My name is Raees and I am a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.  I joined AIAA because I am interested in space exploration and the aerospace industry. My industry-related experience includes NPWEE and MCA from NASA L'SPACE academy. I am excited to meet everyone and see the outcome of the events we have planned!

William Wells

Treasurer

Hi! My name is William and I am a junior studying Mechanical Engineering, as well as a member of the Honors College.  I have been involved with Stony Brook’s AIAA Chapter since 2021, and am passionate about the organization’s Drone and 3D-Printed Rocket projects. Outside of AIAA, I am a peer mentor for the CEAS Peer Mentoring Program, an active member of the Stony Brook University Orchestra as a violist, and volunteer at a local hospital.

Extended E-Board

Max Blakely

Event Coordinator

I'm Max Blakely and I'm a junior in Mechanical Engineering. I loved building and launching Estes model rockets with my dad and AIAA allows me to expand on this experience with other projects including drones and bottle rockets.

Shivani Shastri

Public Relations Chair

My name is Shivani Shastri and I am a junior (Class of '24) studying Mechanical Engineering. I love aerospace! As a kid I always wanted to either be an astronaut or a pilot and that interest stayed with me until now. I really enjoy AIAA and I want to get more people involved, especially more girls. There are so many different types of events that there is something for everyone, whether it be career advancement or social events. As for my personal goals, I hope to get more exposure to and meet people from all different sectors of the aerospace industry! I also want to become an airline pilot so I am currently in flight school. I was also a docent at the American Airpower Museum which is how I started build model airships and planes as a hobby.

Michael Dobo

NASA SL Lead

I'm Michael and I'm the NASA Student Launch Liaison and Overall Leader of SBU Rocket Team here at Stony Brook University. I helped create the official SBU Rocket Team at Stony Brook in 2021 by recruiting senior mechanical engineering students in senior design. Now the team has developed into a diverse group of various majors and academic levels, which increased involvement and love of aerospace at AIAA at Stony Brook. I teach underclassmen and juniors the basics of rocketry as well as various components of the competition to prepare them for the project they are about to endeavor. I believe that the aerospace industry is our next frontier in engineering, and it is our responsibility to promote it to future students. I enjoy oil painting, building high powered rockets on my own, and reading romanticism poetry. I also have my L1 NAR certification, which means I am able to use L1 high powered rocket motors when launching rockets.

Brandon Tang

Prospective NASA SL Lead

My name is Brandon Tang and I’m currently a Junior pursuing a bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering. My interest and fascination with the aerospace and aeronautics industry propelled me to join AIAA. I hope to contribute more to the club by helping in planning activities and events. I’m also currently designing mechanisms as a student aid for Professor Purwar.