B.S. Engineering, HMC '29 · Focused on Robotics
Hi, I'm Tyler Holman.
A robotics engineer who's just as passionate about education. I build and fly FPV drones (FAA Part 107–certified), 3D-print tools that classrooms actually use, and prototype with AI to evolve the education landscape — right now I'm building Classroot, with the goal of giving students the resources and tools they need to grow without replacing the important process of learning. Different projects, but the goal is always the same: use empathy and engineering to make the world a better place.
My robotics journey.
- 2020
Founding Peak Robotics
I co-founded Peak to Peak's high school VEX team and helped build it into a program that would go on to qualify for the World Championship. I ran the engineering notebook and managed the work from prototype to competition robot.
77717B, competing at Pikes Peak Signature Event. - 2021
My initial passion for drones
During COVID I saved up for my first camera drone and immediately fell in love with capturing aerial shots on my family's trips.
Flying my Mavic Mini in Wyoming. - 2022
Building and flying my first FPV drone
After a while flying camera drones, I transitioned to FPV — building my first FPV drone and learning how to solder, tune, fly, crash, and repair in the process. Since then I've configured flight controllers in Betaflight and dialed in PID tuning, flight-testing two larger builds and flying, crashing, and repairing several smaller ones.
Learning to solder. - 2024 & 2025
Qualifying for Worlds 2x
In 2024 and 2025 I was the head driver of our team, helping us qualify for the VEX World Championship in Dallas, Texas two years in a row. I also started our YouTube channel — filming and editing the videos, which grew it to more than 25k views.
- 2026
FAA Part 107 certification
In spring 2026 I earned my FAA Part 107 license so I can start flying drones commercially.
Flying GEPRC MARK5 FPV drone at local park. - 2026
First place at FAR Unlimited with MARC
After arriving at Harvey Mudd, I joined our Advanced Rocketry Club, helping build our rocket Apollyon 1, which took first place at the FAR Unlimited 2026 competition. It flew to 11,432 feet — 95.2% accuracy against our 12,000-foot target apogee.
Apollyon 1 — onboard flight footage. - 2026–2027
MARC Rocketry — Adding active guidance
This season we're designing active guidance into our rocket for the first time in the club's history — control surfaces that adjust mid-flight to steer the rocket toward our target apogee. We're building three: canards, air brakes, and rear-fin flaps. My current focus is creating the air brakes for our structures team.
Our active-guidance surfaces: canards, air brakes (my project), and rear-fin flaps.
Research Projects.
Classroot is the project I'm building at Harvey Mudd's Laboratory for Imaginative Prototyping with AI, where I get to combine two things I care about: education and engineering.
Classroot & the IPAI Lab
The IPAI Lab builds real AI prototypes to explore the technology's promise and peril, with education as one of its core focus areas. I came in having spent years teaching — tutoring and working with individual students to support their needs — where I'd seen how most AI education tools just hand over answers and quietly cut the learning out of the process. Classroot is my response: a full-stack RAG application that traces any problem or topic back to the exact material that teaches it, pointing students toward understanding instead of around it. Building it has meant owning both the engineering and the harder question underneath it — what an AI tutor should, and shouldn't, do.
- Retrieval-augmented pipeline linking questions to source material.
- Full-stack build: retrieval, citations, and interface.
- Evaluated with Galileo — measuring answer groundedness and retrieval quality to catch hallucinations and regressions.
- Technical design paired with ethical and societal analysis.
Materials Research at CU Boulder
Over a summer at CU Boulder, I researched conductive 3D-printing filament with a professor and a graduate student. We printed test coupons and stretched them, then measured each one's resistance afterward to test how mechanical strain affects the filament's conductivity.
- Printed conductive-filament test coupons and put them under strain.
- Measured resistance after stretching to gauge the effect on conductivity.
- Soldered connections, ran measurements, and documented the findings.
Pursuing my passion for 3D printing.
During my free time I love to work on different projects. Here are a couple examples in different areas:
3D Printer Program
I saved up for a BambuLab X1C printer and used it to solve problems I saw at my schools and workplaces. I built a website where teachers could request custom prints, then worked with them through the design process to bring their ideas to life.
Printing Just for Fun
I also just like to print things for fun and design my own models. My most recent is a 6-by-4-foot scaled model of NYC — one of my favorite places in the world — that I built as an art piece for my house, and now my dorm room.
Teaching, service, and leadership.
- Club2025 — Present
Living Learning Community
Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA
- Member of Harvey Mudd's Living Learning Community, a residential group focused on social-justice programming and discussion.
- Take part in weekly discussions and campus events exploring social impact through STEM and advocacy.
- TeachingAug 2023 — May 2025
Tutoring & Mentorship
Educational Projects · Lafayette, CO
- Worked one-on-one with a native Spanish-speaking student on English reading, twice weekly.
- Led weekly academic support for Spanish-speaking students and one-on-one math tutoring.
- LeadershipJun 2024 — May 2025
LINK Program & NHS Leadership
National Honor Society · Lafayette, CO
- Selected as one of six students to lead the LINK program for 200+ participants.
- Mentored eight peer leaders and co-led the school's NHS chapter and its volunteer work.
- WorkMay 2023 — Aug 2026
Day Camp Lead
City of Lafayette · Lafayette, CO
- Engaged 20–30 children daily, delivering enrichment in a safe environment.
- Designed STEM, art, and recreational activities promoting teamwork and creativity.
Design & Fabrication
Programming
Certifications
Languages
05 — Contact
Get in touch.
I'm looking for internships, and I'm happy to talk about engineering, research, or anything I've built here. Email is the fastest way to reach me.