Meet the Executive Board

Co-President - Katie Hardwicke
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an Emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hey all! My name is Katie Hardwicke, and I am one of ASME's Co-Presidents! I am excited to be leading the club this year, and to continue to grow our community of engineers. My goal as Co-President is to expand our relationships with the school and neighboring companies to grow the resources available to ASME members. Right now I am working in the Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Devices (AMED) Lab for my senior capstone project, on the assembly of an oxidative Chemical Vapor Deposition (oCVD) reactor for manufacturing conducting polymers. A little bit about myself: I am originally from Sacramento. I enjoy hiking, traveling, and crocheting.
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an Emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hey all! My name is Katie Hardwicke, and I am one of ASME's Co-Presidents! I am excited to be leading the club this year, and to continue to grow our community of engineers. My goal as Co-President is to expand our relationships with the school and neighboring companies to grow the resources available to ASME members. Right now I am working in the Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Devices (AMED) Lab for my senior capstone project, on the assembly of an oxidative Chemical Vapor Deposition (oCVD) reactor for manufacturing conducting polymers. A little bit about myself: I am originally from Sacramento. I enjoy hiking, traveling, and crocheting.

Co-President - Paulette Suro
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an Emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello everyone! My name is Paulette Suro, and I am one of the Co-Presidents for ASME this year. My goal for this school year is to increase student involvement in research and to help you make connections with faculty, industry professionals, and peers. I am currently a lab manager at the SDSU Nanofabrication Lab and would love to get more students involved in research on campus! Some things I enjoy doing outside of school are going to different cafes around San Diego, going to the beach, and trying new things like crocheting or making balloon animals. I am always open to feedback, suggestions, and collaborations so please reach out if you have any questions or ideas. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an Emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello everyone! My name is Paulette Suro, and I am one of the Co-Presidents for ASME this year. My goal for this school year is to increase student involvement in research and to help you make connections with faculty, industry professionals, and peers. I am currently a lab manager at the SDSU Nanofabrication Lab and would love to get more students involved in research on campus! Some things I enjoy doing outside of school are going to different cafes around San Diego, going to the beach, and trying new things like crocheting or making balloon animals. I am always open to feedback, suggestions, and collaborations so please reach out if you have any questions or ideas. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!

Vice President - Nate Weast
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Junior
Hey Everyone! My name is Nathan Weast and I'm a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student here at SDSU. Currently, I am Vice President of ASME for the 2024-25 school year. As Vice President, it is my responsibility to reach out to various engineering organizations and individuals to set up guest speaker events for our general body meetings. At these meetings, engineering professionals from different backgrounds go more in-depth about their journey, company, etc. and answer questions on a personal level. These events are the main way that our club fosters connections with industry professionals providing valuable networking opportunities. It is my goal to continue creating valuable connections within industries that our members are interested in. This year, I will emphasize professional development and networking because those are two very important skills that don't get discussed in classes. Outside of Engineering, I love spending time outdoors and going on hikes with my friends. I also enjoy cooking and constantly learning new recipes to try out. My experience as a general member of ASME during the 23'-24' school year was an absolute blast and I can't wait to bring in more eager students this year who will truly utilize the resources of our club. Let's have a great year!
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Junior
Hey Everyone! My name is Nathan Weast and I'm a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student here at SDSU. Currently, I am Vice President of ASME for the 2024-25 school year. As Vice President, it is my responsibility to reach out to various engineering organizations and individuals to set up guest speaker events for our general body meetings. At these meetings, engineering professionals from different backgrounds go more in-depth about their journey, company, etc. and answer questions on a personal level. These events are the main way that our club fosters connections with industry professionals providing valuable networking opportunities. It is my goal to continue creating valuable connections within industries that our members are interested in. This year, I will emphasize professional development and networking because those are two very important skills that don't get discussed in classes. Outside of Engineering, I love spending time outdoors and going on hikes with my friends. I also enjoy cooking and constantly learning new recipes to try out. My experience as a general member of ASME during the 23'-24' school year was an absolute blast and I can't wait to bring in more eager students this year who will truly utilize the resources of our club. Let's have a great year!

Treasurer - Sean Hedgecock
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Computer Science
Standing: Senior
Hello everyone! My name is Sean, and I am your Treasurer for the 2024-2025 school year. This year, I'm excited to focus on expanding our membership and increasing sponsorships to support both the student design projects and our ASME social events. Currently, I'm a fourth-year full-time student majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science, and I have a keen interest in programming projects and computational analysis. Outside of academics, I enjoy surfing several different breaks around San Diego and starting my day with early morning workouts. I'm always open to suggestions and new ideas, so if you have any feedback or want to collaborate, feel free to reach out. Let's make this year a great one for ASME!
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Computer Science
Standing: Senior
Hello everyone! My name is Sean, and I am your Treasurer for the 2024-2025 school year. This year, I'm excited to focus on expanding our membership and increasing sponsorships to support both the student design projects and our ASME social events. Currently, I'm a fourth-year full-time student majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science, and I have a keen interest in programming projects and computational analysis. Outside of academics, I enjoy surfing several different breaks around San Diego and starting my day with early morning workouts. I'm always open to suggestions and new ideas, so if you have any feedback or want to collaborate, feel free to reach out. Let's make this year a great one for ASME!

Secretary - Yumi Kawata
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello! My name is Yumi Kawata, and I am thrilled to be your secretary for this year. It is my job to keep you connected and up to date on all that ASME stuff while I work closely with our Marketing Manager, Sabrina. I make sure that general body meetings, events, and opportunities make it to your inbox in a timely manner and will also try to answer any questions that you might have. I am currently a senior in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering. I am also a math tutor at the Math Learning Center on the third floor of the Love Library which is a great resource for anyone who needs help on their homework. Also in my free time, I love to grow fruits and vegetables in my backyard, especially heirloom tomatoes! I am very excited to meet you all, and I will do my best to make this a great year for ASME!
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello! My name is Yumi Kawata, and I am thrilled to be your secretary for this year. It is my job to keep you connected and up to date on all that ASME stuff while I work closely with our Marketing Manager, Sabrina. I make sure that general body meetings, events, and opportunities make it to your inbox in a timely manner and will also try to answer any questions that you might have. I am currently a senior in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering. I am also a math tutor at the Math Learning Center on the third floor of the Love Library which is a great resource for anyone who needs help on their homework. Also in my free time, I love to grow fruits and vegetables in my backyard, especially heirloom tomatoes! I am very excited to meet you all, and I will do my best to make this a great year for ASME!

Marketing Manager - Sabrina Abdelhamed
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Senior
Hi ASME :). My name is Sabrina Abdelhamed and I’m the marketing manager for this club. I’m in charge of advertising the club’s events and opportunities. I hope to reach the diverse student body we have here in our engineering department , with the goal of making ASME inclusive and representative of all! I want everyone to have opportunities to reach their career and academic goals, and that’s something I want to help you all accomplish through ASME.
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Senior
Hi ASME :). My name is Sabrina Abdelhamed and I’m the marketing manager for this club. I’m in charge of advertising the club’s events and opportunities. I hope to reach the diverse student body we have here in our engineering department , with the goal of making ASME inclusive and representative of all! I want everyone to have opportunities to reach their career and academic goals, and that’s something I want to help you all accomplish through ASME.

Events Manager - Saja Sinnawi
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hey everyone! I’m Saja Sinnawi, and I’m the event manager for ASME this year. I’m in charge of planning fun social events to help our members connect, and I also set up professional tours so we can gain industry exposure. I’m currently a senior studying mechanical engineering with a focus on bioengineering, and I also do research at the SDSU Nanofabrication Lab with Dr. Samuel Kassegne. On top of that, I’m the secretary for SWE, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments! Outside of school, I’m from San Diego and love hanging out at Sunset Cliffs (perfect spot if you enjoy reading by the beach). I also like stargazing and just started surfing :)
Studies: Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Bioengineering major
Standing: Senior
Hey everyone! I’m Saja Sinnawi, and I’m the event manager for ASME this year. I’m in charge of planning fun social events to help our members connect, and I also set up professional tours so we can gain industry exposure. I’m currently a senior studying mechanical engineering with a focus on bioengineering, and I also do research at the SDSU Nanofabrication Lab with Dr. Samuel Kassegne. On top of that, I’m the secretary for SWE, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments! Outside of school, I’m from San Diego and love hanging out at Sunset Cliffs (perfect spot if you enjoy reading by the beach). I also like stargazing and just started surfing :)

Project Manager - Giovanni Diaz-Lopez
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello! I'm Gio, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student and the Project Manager for the 2024-2025 academic year. I joined ASME last year as a transfer student from MiraCosta/Palomar College, eager to gain experience on a design team and immerse myself in engineering projects. This year, my goal is to foster a dynamic and creative environment where we can learn, build career-relevant skills, and work collaboratively. I'm also excited to lead our project team in competitions against other schools, helping us build connections and explore various engineering disciplines.
Outside of engineering, I'm passionate about rock climbing, skating, body surfing, backpacking, and traveling. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to connect!
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Senior
Hello! I'm Gio, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student and the Project Manager for the 2024-2025 academic year. I joined ASME last year as a transfer student from MiraCosta/Palomar College, eager to gain experience on a design team and immerse myself in engineering projects. This year, my goal is to foster a dynamic and creative environment where we can learn, build career-relevant skills, and work collaboratively. I'm also excited to lead our project team in competitions against other schools, helping us build connections and explore various engineering disciplines.
Outside of engineering, I'm passionate about rock climbing, skating, body surfing, backpacking, and traveling. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to connect!

Project Lead - Jefferson Young
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Sophomore
Hello! My name is Jefferson! I am a second-year Mechanical Engineering major and also the Project Lead for this year! As Project Lead, my goal is to help give other's pursuing engineering and related STEM disciplines the opportunity to have hands-on learning through participating in engineering competitions, backed by the support and guidance of ASME. My responsibilities include directly coordinating member training, keeping up with proactive design review and support alongside managing the team's progress towards meeting deliverables. Outside of ASME, I am working with the Advanced Materials & Additive Manufacturing Lab directed by Dr. Yang Yang to pursue my interest in researching advanced manufacturing techniques and their applications. Outside of academics and extracurriculars, I love cooking, playing video games, and building things in my free time. Fun fact: I am from Honolulu, Hawaii, where I have lived for most of my life.
Studies: Mechanical Engineering major
Standing: Sophomore
Hello! My name is Jefferson! I am a second-year Mechanical Engineering major and also the Project Lead for this year! As Project Lead, my goal is to help give other's pursuing engineering and related STEM disciplines the opportunity to have hands-on learning through participating in engineering competitions, backed by the support and guidance of ASME. My responsibilities include directly coordinating member training, keeping up with proactive design review and support alongside managing the team's progress towards meeting deliverables. Outside of ASME, I am working with the Advanced Materials & Additive Manufacturing Lab directed by Dr. Yang Yang to pursue my interest in researching advanced manufacturing techniques and their applications. Outside of academics and extracurriculars, I love cooking, playing video games, and building things in my free time. Fun fact: I am from Honolulu, Hawaii, where I have lived for most of my life.

Faculty Advisor - Dr. Sean Park
Dr. Sean Park is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU). Before joining SDSU in 2019, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National University of Singapore (NUS) since 2013. He also worked as a research scientist at Teledyne Scientific Company (formerly known as Rockwell Science Center) where he led several cutting-edge R&D projects funded by ARPA-E and NASA. He received his doctoral degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2010 and was further trained as a post-doctoral researcher at the UCLA Optofluidic Systems Laboratory. Dr. Park’s research interests lie in the area of optofluidic bio and energy systems with applications to biosensors, lab-on-a-smartphone, water/air quality detection, solar indoor lighting, and triboelectric energy harvesting. He received an NSF CAREER award in 2021 and a Harry M. Showman Prize from UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science in 2010.
Dr. Sean Park is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University (SDSU). Before joining SDSU in 2019, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National University of Singapore (NUS) since 2013. He also worked as a research scientist at Teledyne Scientific Company (formerly known as Rockwell Science Center) where he led several cutting-edge R&D projects funded by ARPA-E and NASA. He received his doctoral degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2010 and was further trained as a post-doctoral researcher at the UCLA Optofluidic Systems Laboratory. Dr. Park’s research interests lie in the area of optofluidic bio and energy systems with applications to biosensors, lab-on-a-smartphone, water/air quality detection, solar indoor lighting, and triboelectric energy harvesting. He received an NSF CAREER award in 2021 and a Harry M. Showman Prize from UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science in 2010.