Kenneth Hawthorn is a mechanical engineer who became a teacher. As an engineer, he worked on a wide range of original designs from a land speed record-setting electric motorcycle to LSPR machines. He holds a U.S. Patent for a Fixed Pitch Continuously Variable Transmission. Ken was selected as the first Salzburg Scholar from the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University. Ken also founded an after-school introductory engineering program that served at-risk students in 17 school districts in the San Jose-area for over a decade. Ken currently develops Professional Development and Design Thinking classes at Magellan International School in Austin, Texas, serves on The National Teacher Advisory Council for Autodesk, and was selected as one of the first ten Dremel Idea Builder Ambassadors.