We are the Pastabots

Ms. Hamel has been a physics teacher at The Woodlands High school since 2013 and has been mentoring FIRST Robotics teams since 2018. Ms. Hamel leads the robot design and build, manages and maintains the lab, oversees all team community outreach projects, and serves as the lead team administrator; Ms. Hamel is also the drive coach and strategy lead for the team at all competitions. Ms. Hamel is a graduate of The Woodlands High School and Texas A&M University. Aside from building awesome robots and teaching AP Physics, Ms. Hamel enjoys hanging out with her two dogs, traveling, and restoring antiques.

Mrs. Davies has taught chemistry and physics since 2002 and has been a TWHS faculty member since 2005. She has been the finance mentor for the Pastabots since 2020. Mrs. Davies is primarily responsible for team finances (fundraising, budgeting, Booster Club) and travel; she also leads the scouting team and Pastabots cheering section from the stands at all competitions. Mrs. Davies is a native Houstonian and attended Westbury High School, followed by the University of Texas at Austin. When not at school, she enjoys swimming and traveling with her husband and two daughters. (She also taught Ms. Hamel in high school!)

Mr. Spark joined the Pastabots along with his son William at the start of the 2023 - 2024 school year. He assists the team with programming and electrical tasks, and also helps to scout and chaperone from the stands at events. Mr. Spark is a graduate of  Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

We are always looking for TWHS staff, parents, and community/industry volunteers willing to lend their time and expertise to our program. Volunteers would help to mentor students directly in their particular area of expertise - areas of interest include mechanical (design & build, CAD), programming (JAVA), and business (finance & marketing). For any inquiries, please contact Ms. Hamel at lhamel@conroeisd.net!

Team President (Officer) and CAD Lead

Nicholas is the Pastabots Team President and CAD Lead (our resident OnShape expert) for our inaugural FRC season. Nicholas is a junior who joined the Pastabots at the start of the 2022 school year after transferring to TWHS from The Netherlands. Nicolas is the Co-Lead of our Pastabots Junior program and the creator and executive producer of our Toni the Robot book series. Outside of robotics, Nicholas enjoys photo and video editing, and is an expert in the Dutch sport of Paalzitten (look it up...). Nicholas hopes to pursue some sort of STEM degree in college.

Team Vice-President (Officer)

Mark will be our Team VP for our inaugural FRC season. Mark is a senior who joined TWHS Robotics in August 2022. Mark leads our School Improvement outreach division and is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the TWHS Announcements App. Outside of robotics, Mark REALLY enjoys programming and Minecraft. Mark plans to to pursue a Computer Science degree in college.

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Robot Lead (Officer)

Aidan will be our Robot Lead for our inaugural FRC season; in this position Aidan will oversee the Mechanical, Programming, and Electrical Teams and guide the entire design and build process. Aidan is also our robot operator for the 2024 Crescendo season. Aidan is a senior who joined TWHS Robotics in August 2022. Aidan is also the Co-Lead of our Pastabots Junior program and is also a member of the TWHS Bass Fishing team. Aidan plans to major in Mechanical Engineering in college.

Business Lead (Officer)

Ansh will be our Business Lead for our inaugural FRC season. In this position Ansh will oversee all of our community outreach projects and team media/marketing; Ansh is the coordinator and lead for Team Tortellini and also assists our Programming Team. Ansh is also our Robot Driver for the 2024 Crescendo season. Ansh is a junior who joined TWHS Robotics in August 2022. Outside of robotics, Ansh enjoys playing basketball with friends and computer programming. Ansh hopes to major in Electrical & Computer Engineering in college.

Mechanical Team Lead

Amit is a junior who first joined the Pastabots in August 2022. He will be our Mechanical Lead and Human Player for the 2024 Crescendo FRC season. Amit is a member of our volunteer squad that runs the Pastabots Junior and Team Tortellini programs. Amit's hobbies include basketball, video games and robotics, of course! Amit plans to major in Computer Engineering in college.

Programming Team Lead

JP is a senior who first joined the Pastabots in June 2023. He will be our Programming Lead and Robot Technician for the 2024 Crescendo FRC season. JP is also a volunteer on our Pastabot Junior team. JP's hobbies include basketball, working out and playing video games. He plans to major in Computer Science in college.

Electrical Team Lead

Pablo is a senior who joined the Pastabots in June 2023. He will be our Electrical Lead for the 2024 Crescendo FRC season. Pablo is also a volunteer on our Pastabots Junior team and assists our media team with content creation. Pablo's hobbies include hanging out with friends, playing soccer and ghost hunting. Pablo plans to major in Mechanical Engineering in college.

Shop & Safety Managers; Scouting Leads

Andre and Nicolas are both seniors who joined the Pastabots in June 2023. They will be the Co-Safety & Shop Managers and Co-Scouting Leads for the 2023 - 2024 season. Their responsibilities include maintaining and running all tools in the lab, and enforcing safe practices at all times. Andre and Nicolas are available to any member of the team who needs assistance machining a part for any of our many projects. They also run our scouting team at competitions. Andre and Nicolas enjoy minor first aid tasks and playing show tunes on their safety whistles. Andre and Nicolas both plan to major in Mechanical Engineering in college.

President

Nick is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics President for the 2022 - 2023 season. Nick became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021. Nick specializes in programming and team operations, and is a leader of our program's outreach projects, including Pastabots Junior. In his free time Nick enjoys playing frisbee golf, riding his bike, and playing video games. Nick plans to major in electrical & computer engineering in college.

Vice President & CAD Lead

Lawrence is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Vice President and CAD Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Lawrence became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021 after moving to TWHS from Spain. Lawrence specializes in CAD; his CAD responsibilities involve designing robots (including custom parts for 3D printing), and training new team members in CAD. Lawrence is also heavily involved in our outreach projects, especially our Pastabots Junior Program. In his free time, Lawrence enjoys long walks on the beach, collecting Beanie Babies, and polishing Robotics Trophies. Lawrence plans to major in some type of engineering in college.

Programming Lead

Hrishi is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Programming Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Hrishi became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021. Hrishi specializes in programming robots and training others how to program robots. In his free time, Hrishi enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, and playing Minecraft. Hrishi plans to major in computer engeering in college.

Media & Marketing Lead

Bri is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Media & Marketing Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Bri became a Pastabot her junior-year in 2021. Bri specializes in mechanics and team media/marketing (this includes managing team social media and coordinating with sponsors). Bri is also a member of the TWHS basketball and softball teams. Bri plans to major in electrical & computer engineering in college.

Underclassmen Liaison

Nicholas will be our Underclassmen Liaison for the 2022 - 2023 season. His responsibilities include: attending all events, sitting in on officer meetings and observing how the program is run, and eventually assisting other officers with their various duties. Nicholas is a sophomore who joined TWHS Robotics at the start of the 2022 school year after transferring to TWHS from The Netherlands. Outside of robotics, Nicholas enjoys photo and video editing, and is an expert in the Dutch sport of Paalzitten (look it up...). Nicholas hopes to pursue a STEM degree in the future.