Dr. Paul Mueller
Dr. Paul Mueller is the Chief Engineer for the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association, the organizer of this event. He holds his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University. He was an engineer on the Space Shuttle program and has 95 hours flying backseat in F-16s. He is an adjunct assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering at Utah State, and has been the advisor to their hybrid rocket project for the past ten years.

David Stechmann
David Stechmann is the student lead for the rocket program at the University of Washington. The team developed their "ACES" rocket over the past two academic quarters. This rocket used a sophisticated air- brake system designed to limit the rocket's peak above-ground altitude to 10,000 feet. The ACES rocket flew reasonably well at the 4th Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition, but electronic problems prevented the air-brakes from working and allowed the rocket to exceed the desired altitude. Nevertheless, the judges were impressed enough with the design, students' technical paper, and oral presentation to award them the Jim Furfaro Award for Technical Excellence, and Second Place overall.

Adam Vore
Adam Vore is the student lead for the "Gold Rush" rocket project at California State University-Long Beach. There are two rocket programs at "the Beach", Prospector and Gold Rush. The Prospector program is run by Dr. Eric Besnard with help from John Garvey of Garvey Spacecraft Company. It is part of the California Launch Vehicle Educational Initiative (CALVEIN) program and has been in existence since 2001. It has conducted 11 engine static firings and 10 test flights. The Gold Rush program is advised by Charles Hoult, and adjunct faculty member with over 40 years' experience in sounding rocket and military programs. It was started more recently, and emphasizes student design of rockets. The Gold Rush rocket flew flawlessly at the 4th Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition, and CSULB won the competition on their first attempt.