Mentor Les Quiocho

After serving several years as Kit Committee Chair for Space City BEST, Mr. Quiocho began mentoring WIRED in 2005 when his oldest son became a member of the team. His youngest son joined the team 5 years later and has now graduated college. While not mentoring, Mr. Quiocho is a Senior Robotics Engineer with the NASA Johnson Space Center who specializes in on-orbit manipulator systems (dynamics and controls). He enjoys spending time outdoors with his 2 sons, particularly camping and hiking, and traveling with his wife.

Faculty Advisor Mrs. Toalson

This is Mrs. Toalson’s third year as the WIRED Robotics faculty advisor. She has taught 6-8th HONORS GT Math classes for the past 27 years and has worked closely with science teachers to integrate STEM related activities into her curriculum. Additionally, she has developed and taught many STEM minicourses to the students in the WAVE Gifted Magnet school at Westbrook Intermediate. In her spare time, she enjoys taking her dogs on walks, cruising, and spending time at the beach with her family.

“I like that the BEST Robotics challenges offer students a chance to have productive struggle, which allows students to learn that failure is a necessary step to achieving success.”

Mentor Brandon Quiocho

Brandon Quiocho, previous WIRED member (2005-2008), started mentoring in 2021 after graduating from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Software Engineering degree. When he is not mentoring, he works as a Software Engineer at BNY Mellon in New York City. He enjoys gaming, golfing, skiing, and playing board games with friends.

Mentor Alex Lin

Mr. Lin has worked with WIRED since 2019 as an involved parent and mentor. His son was a member of WIRED (2015 - 2017) as robot base/chassis builder and driver. In addition to helping WIRED he also mentors the Robo Rockets VEX IQ teams at North Pointe Elementary. While not mentoring, he works at the NASA Johnson Space Center building simulation software. He enjoys playing basketball and softball, playing video games, and taking long naps on the weekends.

Mentor JD Yamokoski

Mr. Yamokoski has worked with WIRED since 2022. His son is a member of the WIRED Programming and Electronics Team. In addition to mentoring, he is the Chief Technologist for Nauticus Robotics, having worked over 20 years in the field between NASA and private industry. He enjoys spending time with his family and playing board games with friends.

Mentor Reed Blanchard

Mr. Reed, as he is commonly known, is new to mentoring WIRED this season. He is a former WIRED team member (2012 - 2014) and a recent graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Mr. Reed is currently a Robotics Engineer with Axiom Space. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Lily.

"WIRED and BEST robotics was how I developed my love and passion for engineering, and I love coming back to mentor since I get to see the same in you guys."