SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Name: Alexander Ivanov

Title: Mechanical Team Member

Years on the Team: 4 years

Areas of Focus and Responsibilities: “For the past two years I have spent my time working on shooter systems. Last year, I was the build lead of the shooter system. Unfortunately, there weren't any formal competitions during the 2021 season so my design was never used for the game.”

Impact: “My interest in robotics has been around longer than I have known about FIRST, and at some point, it refined into the desire of wanting to work with prosthetics. I joined Team 4909 soon after and, out of curiosity, found out what 'Bionics' is. As fate would have it, Bionics was the exact field of study that I wanted to work in. Besides discovering the name of what I wanted to do, FIRST has granted me the opportunity to learn and practice vital skills in CAD design and manufacturing using manual and automated devices.”

Favorite 4909 memory: “We were in a competition, and in the pit, the elevator mechanism failed, causing the springs to release. What ensued was a 1x1 beam of aluminum launching into the ceiling with a lot of people to bear witness in the resulting hole in the ceiling. Terrifying at the time, but absolutely hilarious upon reflection to this day.”

Plans after High School: “Go to college, travel the world, enjoy life.”
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Ideal Job: “Prosthetist”

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