Michael Lawrence Garcia is a first-year PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. He is a member of the AI Institute for Dynamic Systems, where he studies how machine learning can enhance our understanding of complex systems in science and engineering. As part of VISIONS’26, he will gather data to support the development of fast surrogate models and control algorithms for marine applications. Beyond his current research, Michael has developed NASA award-winning lunar rover architectures and sustainable satellite technologies. In his spare time, he enjoys building and flying rockets in the Mojave Desert.