OUR MENTORS
Mentors are an essential part of our team. They help keep our team together, and also help sustain knowledge and learning throughout the years. Without the mentors none of what we do would be possible. Our team likes to keep a high student to mentor ratio to promote student learning while still gaining valuable knowledge from our mentors.
Howard Evans is a graduate of The Ohio State University where he studied electrical engineering. Howard has worked for Nordson Corporation since 1997 and is currently a Staff Engineer. He designs control and power electronics for the Packaging and Product Assembly division. Howard joined the Techno Titans as a mentor in 2007 after watching the team compete in the FIRST Championship in Atlanta. Fascinated with robotics as a child, he now lives vicariously through the students he mentors.
To know the Techno Titans was to know Theresa. Though she is gone, we remember her every day. She handled all the admin for the team – paperwork, financials, travel, and whatever was needed. Theresa worked for Yeoman Technology Group as an Amazon Merchandiser. When she wasn’t working or with the Techno Titans, she loved spending time with friends & family, reading, watching college sports, and traveling. She lived in Suwanee with her husband Howard, their dog, Jake and cats, Scarlet and Jared.
The 2019-2020 season was Matthew's first with the Techno Titans. He assists with the construction of field elements, programming, and strategy team. He is also a certified expert on the contents of aisles 13, 21, and 22 of the local hardware store. By day Matthew is a data scientist for Cox Communications. By night he enjoys tinkering on various projects in the basement, maintaining his vintage Ford truck, and annoying his two dogs. He lives in Johns Creek with his wife Julia and son Dominic.
Julia first volunteered with the Techno Titans in the 2019-2020 school year, beginning her education about robotics, drivetrains, CAD, and more acronyms than a person should ever try to learn. Julia assists the business team and coordinates logistics and paperwork. In real life, Julia is a research librarian at the CDC.
Bob retired from a career in technology & business spanning electronics, specialty chemicals, and professional services. Building on a BSEE from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the Univ of Rochester, he worked in 20+ countries on a wide range of projects. Bob lives in Johns Creek with his wife Lynn and their cat Otis. Bob’s interests include photography, food science, civics, financial investing, governance (HOA President for 20+ years), and applying science to everyday life.
Norm graduated from Brigham Young Univ. majoring in Electronics Engineering Technology (minor in Korean). Norm worked in the Bay Area of CA in the computer telephony industry for 13 years, then moved with his family to ATL. Norm now tests software for Rockwell Automation. Norm is married with a son and three daughters, and lives in Alpharetta. He was a mentor for Reset Robotics (FRC 6325) with his daughter, Sophia. Sophia introduced him to Ms. Theresa who convinced him to become a Techno Titan.
Swapnil has over 20 years of experience working in information technology, software engineering, database architecture, and big data engineering. He serves as Technical Lead with CDC's Global Health Program. I first got involved in Techno Titans as a parent volunteer with my daughter Siya, who is studying Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University. He has coached FIRST LEGO League (FLL) mentored by Techno Titans for several years. He enjoys watching spy thrillers and sci-fi movies.
Ms. Bhardwaj is a physics and computer science teacher at Northview High School. 2024-2025 is her first year with the Techno Titans. Education has been a cornerstone in her personal and professional journey. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, a Master’s in Computer Science, a Master’s in Science Education, and a Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. Over her 27 years of teaching in Fulton County, She has led initiatives to integrate technology into the classroom.