Max shepherd

CO-PRESIDENT

Max Shepherd is a Senior studying Chemical Engineering and a Master’s in Engineering Technology Management. Max is the Co-president of AIAA for the 2024-2025 school year and has previously served as secretary.  Max currently works at Lockheed Martin doing New Business Strategy where he is helping to stand up an organization within Space. In his free time, Max enjoys skiing, hiking, playing piano, and working out. Max’s fun fact is he has a twin brother at Mines pursuing the same undergrad and master’s degree who also works at Lockheed Martin.

Email: mshepherd@mines.edu

EVA CHRISTIANSON

CO-PRESIDENT

Eva Christianson is AIAA’s Co-President this upcoming school year! She is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science. At Mines, she holds an officer position in Society of Women Engineers and works in the Registrar’s Office. She loves to hike and has hiked about 13 different 14ers.

Email: echristianson@mines.edu

Cailyn Smith

VICE-PRESIDENT

Cailyn is a senior in Computer Science with a minor in Physics and is this year’s Vice President for the AIAA chapter. This summer, she conducted research on satellite computer vision algorithms at Caltech. Previously, she has been a software engineering intern at United Launch Alliance and at a startup called Katalyst Space Technologies. Cailyn is passionate about conducting robotics research with applications to aerospace, which she does at the Mines Interactive Robotics Research Lab and more recently at the Mines Autonomy, Robotics, & Intelligent Algorithms Lab. Outside of school, Cailyn loves climbing and is on the Mines climbing team. For AIAA this year, she is excited to help plan outreach events that introduce younger students to aerospace and plan a trip to the SciTech conference!

Email: ccsmith1@mines.edu

Caitlin lilly

tREASURER

Caitlin is a senior in Electrical Engineering and a grad student in Robotics, and she is AIAA‘s treasurer for the 2024-25 year. This past summer, she was an electrical engineering intern at Honeybee Robotics in California, and she’s previously done research in the M3 Robotics Lab and graded for the EE department. In addition to AIAA, Caitlin is the class representative for her Vanguard Scholars’ cohort, on the club ski team, and is involved in Tau Beta Pi, Blue Key, IEEE, SWE, and Pi Beta Phi. Outside of school, Caitlin enjoys embroidery, hanging out with friends, line dancing, and skiing (obviously). She’s also gotten into ultimate frisbee and volleyball over the summer, and she hopes to continue playing those and picking up various other sports. 

Email: caitlinlilly@mines.edu

Auston Froid

Secretary

Auston Froid is a Junior mechanical engineer and will be this year’s secretary for the AIAA board members. So far, Auston has interned at United Launch Alliance, the City of Westminster, and at a company called Atreo which specializes in pneumatics. Auston is a pilot on the side and loves to travel to new places when he has the funds. Outside of the AIAA, he is involved in the rocket club, flag football, experimental aircraft association, and weightlifting. For fun, Auston loves golf, skiing, swimming, camping, and hanging out with friends. He joined the AIAA to get more involved in the aerospace industry by making connections and bringing others into the field. He is excited about his ideas for socials and meet and greets for this upcoming year. He is ready for the upcoming year and would be happy to help if you contact him over email! 

Email: froid@mines.edu

Andrew patil

Outreach and events chair

Andrew Patil is a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering filling the position of the Outreach & Events Chair for the Mines AIAA chapter. His most recent position was held at Lhoist as a Manufacturing Excellence Intern, teaching vital skills he looks forward to applying across his future opportunities. Outside of AIAA, he enjoys the creation and consumption of specialized coffee both at home and around the Golden Area. Andrew is also involved in the Mines Alpha Tau Omega Chapter, is interested in all things outdoors, and enjoys weightlifting. Continuing to get involved in the aerospace industry by creating valuable connections with the new and old members of the Mines AIAA chapter was a driving factor in joining the Board for 2024-2025. Within the term, he is also excited about upcoming events like the Pathfinder conference, and for continuing to foster the learning and passion of Aerospace at Mines. 

Email: Patil@mines.edu

Jessica Tomshack

Media & Communications

Jessica is a senior in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Aerospace Engineering and is serving as the Communications Chair for the 24-25 school year. This is her first year on the board, and she is super excited to get more involved and share her passion for the aerospace field. Her experience in aerospace/defense includes a Software/Systems Engineering Internship with Northrop Grumman in 2023, and a Systems/Test Engineering Internship with BAE Systems in 2024 (formerly Ball Aerospace). Outside of AIAA, she’s also involved in SWE (Society of Women Engineers) as Vice President of Outreach, WOAA (Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, oSTEM (Out in STEM) and the Mining Engineer Marching and Concert Band (bass drum, flute, and concert percussion). 

Email: jessicatomshack@mines.edu

Raistlynn Baros

Diversity, Inclusion, & Access

Raistlynn Baros is studying Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Aerospace Engineering, and will be acting as this year’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (DI&A) Chair following her time as DI&A Co-Chair last year. In addition to serving on the AIAA board, she also works as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Networking Director, and was formerly the organization’s president. She has previously interned for Northrop Grumman Space, and now works as a Systems Engineering Intern at Gogo Business Aviation. Raistlynn is an avid sci-fi and fantasy fan, and is in the process of writing a D&D campaign. A Colorado local, she enjoys exploring the Rockies by skiing, bouldering, hiking, and camping every chance she can. If you have any comments, concerns, or suggestions for how Colorado Mines AIAA can improve our DI&A efforts, please reach out to her via email. 

Email: raistlynnabaros@mines.edu

Sierra dennis

Diversity, Inclusion, & Access CO-CHAIR

Sierra Dennis is a senior majoring in Electrical Engineering with an ASI in Integrated Circuits and Electronics and minoring in Mechanical Engineering. She will be the AIAA DI&A Co-Chair this year. Sierra is involved in Blue Key Honors Society, PCB Design Club, SWE, and IEEE on campus. She is also a TA for several EE classes. Sierra likes to ride dirt bikes and put together puzzles outside of school. Last summer, Sierra interned at Ensign Power Systems as a manufacturing and test intern; this summer, she is working at Texas Instruments as a product engineering intern. A fun fact about Sierra is that she was a goalie on a Division 3 women’s ice hockey team before transferring to Mines. 

Email: sierradennis@mines.edu

Brynn Scherrer

Mission Specialist

Brynn Scherrer is a Mission Specialist for the 2024-2025 school year and a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. Brynn is an instructor with Play-Well TEKnologies and teaches children engineering concepts and practices through hands-on learning with Legos. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games, reading, and going on drives with her friends. A fun fact about Brynn is she loves to learn Spanish and hopes to visit Spain some day.

Email: brynn_scherrer@mines.edu