USC LPL LABORATORY co-Lead

In addition to leading the development of Hydra, John was officially the laboratory co-lead for the LPL during the year of 2017. John adopted a clear objective and strategy that focused on student workforce development and encouraged members to demonstrate end-to-end ownership with minimal directionas well as establishing a recruiting and on-boarding process that focused on finding and developing eager engineers. Workforce development was achieved by providing students the opportunity to take knowledge acquired in coursework and apply it in a hands-on, extracurricular setting that replicates what is seen in industry. Examples of this includes creating and maintaining 3D models using Siemens NX, developing in house codes using MATLAB and python, utilizing simulation software with ANSYS, creating drawings which adhere to GD&T standards, as well as replicating the build & test phases. He also oversaw and led in strategic planning for the design of the 10 kN development liquid-propellant rocket engine, Balerion. John’s time as lead saw tremendous growth with a 10X increase in overall lab space, 3 publications, a new state-of-the-art Water Flow Test Stand, and 3 additively manufactured engines in development. John was able to document the overall culture change and new philosophy in a publication called “The Objective & Strategy Behind the University of Southern California’s Liquid Propulsion Laboratory” that he presented at the 2018 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Conference. His overall contribution was recognized by the university as he won “Rocket Scientist of the Year” at the 2018 USC Viterbi School of Engineering Master’s Student Awards ceremony.