Elizabeth Nelson - Team Lead


Elizabeth Nelson is a senior in Software Engineering. She is an Ames native and was a cyclone since she was little. Previously, she worked for Iowa State university’s ITS Audiovisual Department and currently works as a respite care provider. During the summer of 2020, she built her first desktop computer, a goal she had since high school. Her future career interests include information technology, animation, virtual reality environmental design, and film/audio editing. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her friends and family, volunteer at her church, and explore many creative avenues through reading, writing, film, television, gaming, and music.

Isaac Littler - Scheduling Lead


Isaac Littler is a senior in Computer Engineering. He grew up in Cedar Rapids, and both his parents are ECpE alumni. He has interned several times at Collins Aerospace doing software development, and has participated in undergraduate cybersecurity research here at Iowa State. He is looking forward to finding a full time software position.

Ami Ikanovic - Client Communication Lead


Ami Ikanovic is a senior in Software Engineering. He grew up an hour and half away from Ames in Cedar Falls Iowa. While growing up he spent many summers visiting Bosnia where his family is originally from. For the last 2 years Ami has been working as an application developer for GuideOne Insurance out of West Des Moines. He looks forward to working his way to a job in the space industry. During his free time he likes to play soccer, go to the gym, rock climb and travel to new places.

Scott Fank - Team Communication Lead


Scott Fank is a senior in Electrical Engineering. He was born and raised in rural Boone county. In addition to the various positions Scott has fulfilled on the farm he lives on, he worked as a personal shopper at the Rinehart’s Family Farm during the summer of 2021. His non-academic projects have included work with 3D printing, FPV acrobatic quadcopters, personal computer construction, automotive restoration, and local area networking. In his free time, Scott enjoys playing video games, mountain biking, camping, and playing musical instruments

Benjamin Kelly - Facilities Manager


Ben Kelly is a senior in Software Engineering. He grew up in Independence, Iowa which is about two hours from Ames. Ben has enjoyed working on various applications for android, including an application which assisted those with speech disabilities to communicate with their therapy dogs more effectively. For the last 4 years Ben has worked in the Agronomy IT department as an IT student technician, and for the last year as lead student technician. He looks forward to working towards his own software development company. During his free time he likes to play video games, run, and drive race cars.

Parth Padmanabhan - Documentation Lead


Parth Padmanabhanis a senior in Software Engineering. Originally from Laguna Beach, California, he lived in India for a while before moving to Ames for college. In his free time he works on a small video game development project, plays soccer, practices karate and lifts. With no prior industry experience, he hopes to develop his skills by working on iOS app development and using public APIs to make bots for discord.

Zahydee Machado - Delivery Manager


Zahydee Machado is a senior in Software Engineering with a minor in Digital Media Design. He is from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and always gets asked what brought him all the way to Iowa (not even he is sure of the answer to that). He has been working as a Software Engineering Intern at Workiva for over two years now and has really enjoyed working in DevOps and practicing much of what he learns at school. His other interests are in the fields of interactive media, virtual reality, game programming, and animation. Outside of software, Zahydee enjoys drawing, playing video games with friends, and spending time outdoors.

Contact the Team: sdmay22-20@iastate.edu

Team Contract