Executive Director

David Patterson

David has experience in both research engineering and commercial systems engineering. During his time as a research engineer for Taylor University, he was directly involved in the conceptualization and successful submission of over $1.5 million in proposal, and was team lead for the project performance of another $1 million in research applications with subjects ranging from "stripper" oil well characterization to nanosatellites sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory. In addition, David has served in a number of educational roles, including a stint as an Adjunct Professor of Astronomy, lead trainer on a NSF-funded CCLI (Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement) project, and as a volunteer at two after-school programs for elementary, middle-, and high-school students. During his time as a commercial systems engineer, he has authored two NASA whitepapers on software-defined radio technology, and has served in leadership roles on the successful completion of projects directly related to the national security communications infrastructure. As the Executive Director / Principle Investigator, he is the primary point of contact, and is ultimately responsible for the quality of the concepts, submissions, and performance of Edge Research Laboratory.

Director of Operations

John Patty

John Patty has 6 years of stratospheric research and communications experience, and has participated in the integration and successful recovery of more than 30 payloads in that time. As a licensed amateur radio operator, John has designed and tested RF equipment from scratch in his spare time. As the Director of Operations for Edge Research Laboratory, John is responsible for the day-to-day acquisitions and integration tasks required when assembling the systems-of-systems required for successful research operations.

Director of Finance

Shawn Koehler

Shawn has been working in the financial industry for a number of years, and is currently a branch manager for Key Bank in Colorado. In addition, he has experience in freelance work as the treasurer for small businesses, and has performed that work to the complete satisfaction of the owners.