A scientist's other world
She studied water, landscapes, and natural systems as a research hydrologist. But at home, another world was quietly pulling her in — one built from tiny beams, gears, and a young child's imagination.
She lived in two worlds.
A PhD in environmental science. Years as a research hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. By day, she measured how water moved through the world. By night, a different kind of system was turning.
Water & natural systems
Studying landscapes, rivers, and the quiet machinery of the natural world.
Beams, gears & wonder
A world built from tiny parts — and one young child's runaway imagination.
It began
with a bin
of LEGO
When her son was only three or four, he fell in love with LEGO. At first she built beside him simply as a mother — sharing his joy, following his curiosity, one brick at a time.
Falling for
the machines
Then she discovered LEGO Technic: gears turning gears, linkages creating motion, small mechanisms acting like real machines. Play became fascination. She built project after project, joined the worldwide Great Ball Contraption community, and shared their creations online.
Local programs noticed — and asked her to design camp curricula and classes.
And when no one could teach them, she stepped in herself.
That step
changed
everything.
Learn by reverse-engineering
Over years of teaching, she noticed something important: when children only follow step-by-step instructions, they can finish a model — but often don't understand why it works.
So she put
the manual away.
A gearbox becomes
a beyblade launcher
Students first observe a finished machine. They play with it, test it, compete with it, and ask: “How does this work?” Then they build their own version.
They experiment with speed, strength, balance, and design — and no two builds look the same, because every child thinks differently.
Understand. Build. Improve.
Understand the mechanism
Start from a working machine and figure out why it moves the way it does.
Build your own solution
Put the manual away and design your own version of the idea.
Learn by thinking
Test it, break it, improve it — learning through trying, not just following.
Into VEX
As her son grew, he discovered VEX robotics competitions — and she followed his curiosity. She learned the robot, the game, the coding, the strategy.
Helping her own child grew into coaching his friends' team — and watching robotics turn kids into teammates, problem-solvers, and young leaders.
She spent two years taking coding and mechanical-design classes alongside her own kids. At competitions, parents kept asking the same question — “Can you teach my child too?” Eventually she left her research career to devote herself fully to robotics education.
Burning Gear
Robotics was
born.
More than competition
Trophies matter — but so does the quiet moment a child finally understands a mechanism, the confidence after many failed tries, the friendships around a robot table, and the courage to try again.
Off-season workshops
Space to tinker and explore beyond the competition calendar.
Community events
Bringing young builders and families together around robots.
Beginner classes
A gentle first step for any curious newcomer.
Sponsorships
Lowering the barrier so more kids can take part.
Robotics belongs to every child curious enough to ask “How does this work?” — and brave enough to build their own answer.