| Andre Hamilton
Doing Big Things
Andre Hamilton, FIRST alumnus and a graduate of Science Skills Center High School in Brooklyn, has just completed a 10-week internship at Lockheed Martin where he worked on next generation technology for the U.S. Army. The project I worked on was the result of a $42 million contract that the U.S. Army awarded to Lockheed," Andre explains. According to Lockheed, the project will give U.S. Army surveillance aircraft greater ability to precisely locate the source of modern communication signals, significantly enhancing "situational awareness and real-time information for battlefield commanders."
Andre says he would never have imagined himself working in this field had it not been for his experience with FIRST. In 2004 and 2005 Andre was a member of the "SkillzTech" Robotics Team and enjoyed every minute of the experience. "I was able to meet some great people like Mike Dubno and Glenn Gribble. As mentors, they inspired me," says Andre.
Looking back on his FIRST Robotics team experience, Andre recalled how he learned to work with others in solving complex problems and how it has helped him in his internship. At the Lockheed Martin Systems Integration Department in Owego, NY Andre has seen firsthand the importance of working together. When there are various groups of people working to solve complex problems the ability to work with other people cannot be overstated. "Just like with a FIRST team, the sum is always greater than the individual pieces," Andre explains.
This semester Andre will be continuing to pursue a double major in Physics and Computer Science at Stony Brook University. When asked what he wants to do in the future Andre responded, "I would really like to be an astronaut one day."
If NASA is looking for a skilled team player there is little doubt that Andre would be a valuable asset. Especially if they are looking for a representative from Brooklyn! |
