 Career Spotlight
Meet Toby Bothel, Director of Design, Engineering and Fabrication for the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM
What kind
of a scientist/engineer are you?
Ocean Engineer
What was
your major in college?
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and a Masters in Ocean
Engineering
What you like most about being a scientist/engineer?
I
love solving problems and seeing the connection between equations and the real
world. I also love designing and carrying out experiments and learning from the
data that I collect.
What are
you most proud of related to being a scientist?
I am most
proud of two things; First, I am proud of the experimental data which I have collected
around ship models which led to the validation of computer programs which
predict the flow of water around ships. Second, I am proud of the students that
I have mentored as I have watched them pursue their own career in science or
engineering.
Is there
anything that you would like students to know about your career or how they
could become a scientist/engineer?
My career started as an ocean engineer for
the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, Maryland. For 35 years I
conducted experiments on model ships and submarines to evaluate the hull
designs. In the last seven years of my work at the Warfare Center, I had the
opportunity to lead the K-12 STEM Outreach program for the Center, which
allowed me to co-teach with science teachers in their classrooms while doing
interesting engineering projects. Then, when I retired I started to work for a
company which design STEM schools, digital fabrication labs and maker spaces.
If you are
interested in becoming a scientist or engineer, I would recommend participating
in after-school science or engineering clubs and summer science and engineering
camps at your school or in your city. And then when you are older, you should apply
for science or engineering internships – paid or voluntary. I think that internships
are the best way to learn about what an engineer or scientist really does, and
it could also lead to your first job.
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In 2011, at the age of 9, Caine Monroy spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store in East Los Angeles.
Caine loved arcades, and dreamed of the day he would have lots of customers come play. He spent months building and preparing his arcade, perfecting his game design, making displays for prizes (his toy cars), designing elaborate security systems for his Fun Pass, making his own Caine's Arcade Staff shirt, and even hand labeling paper-lunch-bags for customers to carry home prizes.
However, his dad’s auto part store received very little foot traffic, so Caine’s chances of getting a customer were very small, and the few walk-in customers that came through were always in too much of a hurry to get their auto part to stop to play Caine’s Arcade. Caine never had a single customer, but Caine never gave up.
On the last day of summer, by chance, Nirvan Mullick walked into the auto parts store to buy a door handle for his ’96 Corolla. Caine asked Nirvan if he would like to play his arcade. Curious, Nirvan asked how the arcade worked. Caine explained that for $1, Nirvan could get two turns, or for $2 he could get a Fun Pass (with 500 turns). Nirvan bought the Fun Pass.
Nirvan became Caine’s first and only customer, and he loved Caine’s Arcade. It turned out that Nirvan was also a filmmaker, and he came back to ask Caine’s dad if he could make a short film about Caine’s Arcade. It was at that point Nirvan learned that he had been Caine’s first and only customer. Nirvan decided to organize a surprise flash mob of customers to come play Caine’s Arcade, and make Caine’s day.
Words can’t describe Caine’s response – so watch the film. After the flashmob, Caine told his dad that that was the best day of his whole life.
Watch a video on Caine's Arcade: https://youtu.be/Ul9c-4dX4Hk
 How can you participate in the Cardboard Challenge?
Kids of all ages around the world are invited to build something amazing out of cardboard, recycled materials and imagination.
Inspired by the short film, ‘Caine’s Arcade’, the Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation to celebrate child creativity and the role communities can play in fostering it. In September, kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Then on October 6, 2018 communities come together to play!
Date: Friday, October 5th
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: TJHSST Cafeteria (6560 Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA)
- View student projects on diverse scientists
- Learn about TJ diversity outreach efforts
- Participate in hands-on STEM activities
Register: https://tinyurl.com/Celebrate-Scientists-at-TJ
Questions: Summer.T.Keating@gmail.com
The Battle of the Rockets Competition consists of three events with a range of complexity to test all skill levels. The Target Altitude Event focuses on the rocket design skills. The Rover Event adds the complexity of designing an autonomous robot that must survive launch, deployment and landing and perform an operation autonomously. The Sounding Rocket event is a medium complexity event. (Launch Dates: March 29 - 31, 2019)
For more information please visit: Rocketbattle.org
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