School of Engineering
Showing 511-520 of 581 Results
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Carlos Valencia
Undergraduate, Mechanical Engineering
BioBorn in Camarillo, California, Carlos Valencia learned early that challenges forge resilience. As the son of a hard-working immigrant family, he spent summers working in the avocado and lemon industry—a childhood that taught him the value of grit and the power of opportunity. Today, as a Mechanical Engineering student at Stanford University, he channels that determination into robotics, education advocacy, and uplifting communities.
Carlos loves learning about robotic technology and has worked on numerous projects related to the field. Carlos’s passion for engineering took root in high school. As the former president of the ACHS MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, & Achievement) chapter, he mentored 45+ first-generation students, leading them to compete in national STEM competitions. In the summer of 2024, he worked with L5 Automation, a robotics company based in La Cañada, CA, in Olmos, Peru where he helped develop harvesting platforms for one of the largest agriculture producers in Peru.
Beyond engineering, believes in the power of storytelling to inspire action. His TEDx talk, “Avocados Rot” drew from his upbringing to challenge audiences to seize fleeting chances—a message that resonated globally. Recognized as Camarillo Youth of the Year (2023) and awarded the Bronze Volunteer Award by the American Red Cross, he balances innovation with service, whether rebuilding communities after disasters or leading robotics teams.
Carlos’s mission is to democratize STEM access. Carlos envisions a world where education erases barriers. He aims to pioneer low-cost robotic solutions for agriculture and healthcare while expanding mentorship networks for first-gen students. When not engineering or volunteering, he unwinds by hiking, playing pickup soccer, or tinkering with 3D printers. -
William R. Van Dalsem
Adjunct Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering
BioBill recently completed 40+ years at NASA. Bill's goal is to help the next generation of engineers address the complex challenges facing society, such as climate change, and the resulting critical needs to achieve greener energy and transportation and reduce the impact of wildfires and droughts.
He graduated from Stanford with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (with a minor in Aeronautics and Astronautics) in 1984, as well as a Master's in Mechanical Engineering in 1981. Bill received his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara where his capstone project was an operational diffuser augmented wind turbine. Bill was a University of California Regent Scholar.
At NASA, Bill began as a research scientist in computational fluid dynamics, eventually providing leadership to organizations that provided aerodynamic support to activities ranging from the Space Shuttle to V/STOL aircraft. Bill led NASA-wide programs which brought high-performance computing to bear on Earth sciences, multi-disciplinary physics to aerospace design, and explored the application of nano and quantum technologies to NASA missions. Bill led NASA Ames' Intelligent Systems Division, which provided critical software to NASA's Earth-like planet detecting Kepler mission, two missions to the Moon, and many innovative small spacecraft missions. Bill spent seven years as a senior systems engineer in the NASA Ames Office of the Chief Engineer. Bill served as the Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer of the NASA Ames Aeronautics Directorate, when among his other duties he envisioned a Data & Reasoning Fabric to enable autonomous aircraft to provide critical services in complex environments. In 2020, Bill received NASA's highest recognition, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Bill is learning about exciting new challenges and creative student solutions from his participation in the Stanford Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Program. In return, he is trying to provide some lessons learned from working some of NASA's most exciting and challenging missions.
Stanford Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Program:
https://me170.stanford.edu -
Carina Veil
Postdoctoral Scholar, Mechanical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLearning-enhanced control for soft bioinspired robots
