I work at GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Massachusetts (near Boston). Yes, GE makes aircraft engines, not only washing machines and light bulbs! I am in the Control Systems group working on the CF34-8C1 turbofan engine which powers the Bombardier CRJ700 70 passenger regional jet. The aircraft entered service in early 2001 and we continually support engine control related issues as they arise. I also work on the control system for the CF34-8C5/-8D/-8E engine lines which are growth derivatives of the -8C1 engine. These engines are still in the development process and will power the Bombardier CRJ900, Dornier Do728, and the Embraer 170 regional jets, respectively. Before my current job in the control systems group, I was in a two year rotational program called the Technical Leadership Program. One of my rotations while in the training program was in Seattle, Washington, working as a field service representative at Boeing. So I got to live in Seattle for about five months which was awesome.
I received my Bachelors degree from MIT (1996) in Aeronautics and Astronautics. After that, I stayed for two more years to get my Masters Degree. I did my research at the MIT Space Systems Lab on a project titled Active Acoustic Launch Load Alleviation. The goal of the project was to reduce the acoustic loads on spacebound payloads such as satellites during launch, by controlling the transmission and reflection of acoustic energy through the rocket payload fairing. This involves the active control of the structural-acoustic interface using linear optimal control.
Even before that...
I was born in Yokohama, Japan which is just outside of Tokyo. I came over to the US when I was only 5 years old, so I've lived most of my life here in the US. I grew up in New York City, in Whitestone, Queens. I went to elementary school at Public School 79 in Whitestone, then on to Junior High School 185 in neighboring Flushing, and then to the Bronx High School of Science, in well, the Bronx.
I love to play volleyball. When I was in school, I was a setter for the MIT Intercollegiate Volleyball Club. IVC is a club team that competes in the New England Collegiate Volleyball League. In 1995, the team's first year in existence, we won the league championship. Now, I play with the MIT Graduate Volleyball Club and we play tournaments run by the Yankee Volleyball Association, a part of USAV. I played with the team in the AA division at USAV Nationals in San Jose in 1999.
I am also one of the (many) assistant coaches for the Women's Varsity Volleyball team and help out with the MIT Women's Club Team.
Another sport I've really gotten into is soccer. I started getting interested during World Cup 98 and now I follow some of the European leagues pretty closely. My favorite team is Arsenal in the English Premier League. I also like Inter in the Italian Serie A, and Barcelona in the Spanish Primera Liga. I've also started playing a bit, joining a co-ed outdoor team which plays in the Boston Ski and Sports Club (BSSC) league.
One of my other passions is traveling. I love seeing and experiencing new places. I want to go everywhere!
I enjoy hiking and just being outdoors. I've done some hikes in the northern Appalachians, the Rockies, the Cascades and Olympics of the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and the Swiss Alps.
Basically, I like being active, so I will play almost any sport - soccer, tennis, football, golf, basketball, cycling, whatever.
My older brother Satoshi lives in Malden, MA, although he seems to spend more than half his time in Japan on business. He works in the Imaging Group at Oak Technology. He studied electrical engineering at MIT, and received his Master's Degree in 1994.
My parents grew up in Japan on the southern island of Kyushu. My father is from the city of Saiki in Oita prefecture, and my mother is from the village of Karyu, also in Oita. Although they grew up about 15 miles away from each other, they met in Tokyo. They now live outside of Honolulu, Hawaii, where my father is the director of the Honolulu Branch of Canon, USA.
I have a black and white short-haired cat named Tama. It's a Japanese name that means small ball. I got her in January of 1994 when she was only 8 weeks old.
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