Garrett Jares
Garrett Jares is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, a 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory. Garrett earned his B.S. degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University with minors in Cybersecurity and Mathematics, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2017. He has been working in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (VSCL) with his advisor, Dr. John Valasek, since his undergraduate senior capstone project in 2017. During his undergraduate education, Garrett studied extensively in cybersecurity including research in cryptography topics. Garrett’s work with VSCL has involved developing embedded systems for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), conducting UAS flight testing operations, and overseeing the operation of the Engineering Flight Simulator Laboratory. Garrett is combining his undergraduate knowledge in Computer Science with his experience gained in Aerospace Engineering to investigate Cybersecurity for air and space vehicles.
Garrett’s doctoral dissertation investigates cyber-attacks that are designed to take control of an aircraft by targeting the vehicle’s sensor data. This research will help identify and better understand the vulnerabilities in current systems and develop safeguards against such attacks. Garrett is a recipient of the 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Crawford & Hattie Jackson Foundation Scholarship, the Edward C. Clay ’47 Memorial Scholarship, and the 2018 Lechner Graduate Fellowship.
Publications:
Madeline King
Madeline King is a sophomore in the College of Engineering pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science. She is expected to graduate in May 2026 and has been a member of VSCL since Fall 2022. At VSCL, Madeline created an automated battery management system and supports the flight test operations as a ground handler. Madeline has interned with NASA over multiple summers working with Rovers and Robotics as well as Avionics Systems and Integration. Her professional interests are avionics, flight operations, and aerospace systems.
Katelyn Lancaster
Katelyn Lancaster is a Senior pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering and a Mathematics minor. She has been an active member of VSCL since Fall 2020 working in flight test operations, system identification, and the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) project. Katelyn will be continuing her system identification work with a fall project integrating SIDPAC analysis for our current vehicles. Katelyn has interned the previous 3 summers at Lockheed Martin working in Configuration Management and Flight Test Engineering.
Cassie-Kay McQuinn
Cassie-Kay McQuinn graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with Summa Cum Laude and Engineering Honors. Cassie-Kay is a M.S. student and has been an active member of VSCL since Fall 2021, working in system identification. In addition to completing Engineering Honors, she is a Presidential Endowed Scholar, the 2021 Aerospace Engineering Advisory Board Scholarship recipient, and has earned a certificate of Holistic Leadership in Engineering through completion of the Zachry Leadership Program. She is the current President of the Texas A&M chapter of the Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society. While being a grad student she has interned with Sandia National Labs and most recently with the Air Force Research Lab researching safe autonomy for aerospace systems. As an undergraduate she interned with L3Harris Technologies working in the Structural Analysis and Structural Design departments. Cassie-Kay’s main interests include flight test engineering, aircraft dynamics and system identification.
Carla Zaramella
Carla Zaramella is a Senior pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. She has been a member of VSCL since January 2022 and has contributed towards the System Identification project and aided with Flight Testing. Carla has interned with Raytheon Technologies over the last two summers, working on land/air radar defense systems.