Student Leadership
Lawton President
As the team president, Lawton oversees the entire team and helps run team meetings. He is in his 8th year of FIRST experience, with 4 years of FTC and 4 years of FRC experience. He loves 3D printing, Elon Musk, Taco Bell, Arduino, raspberry pi, math, and RC plane flying. He currently holds the highest GPA of his class. He's also in Mu Alpha Theta math society, Key club honor society, and the Ocean Bowl team. After high school, Lawton will be attending Stanford, then intends to be a part of either the private space industry, or join a Silicon Valley startup. He has listened to the same song almost every night while falling asleep since hearing it late one night on an FRC trip.
Alex Vice President
Alex is the vice president of the team, and currently contributes to FRC 568's build, electronics, and CAD departments. Alex has had a total of 6 year’s experience with FIRST. He loves to spend time fishing, hiking, skiing, and working on puzzles. He spends summers working on his family’s dairy farm. Alex plans to pursue a career in agricultural engineering.
Taylor Business Manager
A senior at Dimond high school, Taylor is the business manager of the team. Taylor helps run the entire business department, and maintains the team’s social media accounts. She knows how to unicycle, and participates in the Model United Nations of Alaska, recently having won the best high school delegate in security council award. Taylor intends to attend UAA next year, and hopes to pursue a career where she can do a lot of writing.
Matthew Engineering Manager
Matthew has had over four years of experience in FIRST, and is the engineering manager for the team. He is also the lead programmer. He currently attends school in Ohio, and plays hockey. Matthew intends to go to college for a computer science degree.
Alec Treasurer
Alec is a junior at Dimond with inspirations to pursue STEM after graduation. He acts as treasurer for the team, coordinating with mentors and sponsors to ensure the team is well-funded. This is Alec’s second year with FIRST and he is excited to continue working with the team!
Eric M. Secretary
Eric is the secretary for the team. He has had 7 years of experience with FIRST. He joined 568 as a Nerdlet, and then joined the team as a full team member once he entered high school. He contributes to the build team, and takes notes and attendance during meetings. Outside of robotics, he likes snowboarding.
Toya Safety Captain/ Lab Manager
Toya is a junior at West Anchorage High School and it is his third year being a part of the Nerds of the North. He is also the team captain of FTC Team 16660 CyberWing and has 3 years of robotics experience. He is Japanese and interested in programming, CAD, and electronics. For the Nerds of the North, he has helped program Project Avatar - a telepresence robot to help virtual members - and a mathematics Riley Robot video game to help young children learn math skills. His hobbies outside of FIRST include working with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, 3D printing, and origami.
Zoe Outreach Manager
As one of our online members, Zoe calls into meetings from North Pole, just outside of Fairbanks, and is our team’s Outreach Manager and the lead for Project Avatar. She is no stranger to FIRST, with 2 years of FTC experience (VX3 and Robodydactic) and FLL Jr. mentoring experience. Zoe is CPR and First Aid certified and has experience with electronics and programming. She plays double bass, has written a novel, and is working on four more. After high school, Zoe plans to pursue a degree in engineering or cyber security.
Team Members
Areli Build & Business Team
Areli is a junior at West High School. She has 2 years of FTC experience and this year is also a member of an FTC team. For FRC 568 she is a member of the business team. One day she hopes to be an immigration lawyer in the lower 48. This year she has learned how to use CAD modeling, a basic understanding of Java, and is very excited to continue learning robotics.
Benjamin Build & Business Team
Benjamin Moisan is a student at West High school he is a member of the Nerds of The North, and a FTC team The Tech Eagles. He has been doing FIRST for 5 years. He is looking forward to learning about CAD, code, and Business.
Eric H. Build Team
Born and raised in Minnesotan, Eric is a Senior at South High School with two prior years of FRC experience with Bomb Bots, 4 years of FLL experience with Cannon Falls, and volunteer experience mentoring FLL Jr.. He is now in his second year as an official Nerd of the North! Eric is CPR and Wilderness First Aid Certified, and also has experience with CNC Plasma Cutters and welding. He plans to pursue a career in Nuclear or Electrical Engineering after high school.
Ian Build Team
Ian is a senior at Eagle River High School. Ian has previously participated on FRC 1208 Metool Brigade and the FTC Phantom Wolves, and was also a member of VEX Robotics. He contributes to both the Build and Outreach departments of FRC 568 and brings with him valuable skills in 3D printing. Ian is a registered drone pilot and a model UN delegate. After high school, Ian plans to go into the military.
Jehovan Build Team
Jehovan is a senior, and a member of our build team. He has had previous FIRST experience as a member of his FTC team. Jehovan wants to attend UAA to get his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He is an animal enthusiast, and a big hockey fan.
Kenya Business Team
Kenya is a member of FRC 568’s business department as a video editor. Kenya has had two years total experience with FLL and FTC. He wants to attend college in Japan and has two pet birds!
Tobias Build Team
Tobias is a sophomore at West High School. He is the captain of his own FTC team, and is currently a member of FRC 568’s build team. Tobias has experience with CAD, and enjoys working on solving problems with his team.