Name: Robert Menke

Position: Deputy Section Manager, Electronic Parts Engineering

Biography: Received his B.A. in Electrical Engineering (Optics specialization) from the University of California, San Diego in 1984 and received his M.S. in Electrical Engineering (Solid State) from the University of Southern California. After working for over 6 years at Hughes Aircraft Co. as a Component Engineer specializing in active devices, he joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1991 to work as a Parts Manager for instruments on the Cassini Project. He went on to work numerous other projects including AIRS, IAE, CSE, and Mars Pathfinder. In 1995 he moved to Denver, CO to work with JPL's industrial partner Lockheed Martin on the Mars '98 Project where he was promoted to Mission Assurance Manager (MAM) in 1996. After returning to California in 1997, he continued to work as a MAM and went on the 2001 Mars Odyssey Project including working for almost a year in operations. In January 2002 he returned to the Electronic Parts Engineering Office as the supervisor of the Parts Engineering Group. He has received numerous achievement awards for his work including a NOVA award in 1996 for "innovation and improvement" on the Mars Pathfinder Project.