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Aaron Parness
Aaron Parness learned the importance of practice at Interlochen.
Aaron Parness tests one of his creations during his tenure at NASA.
Even as a Junior camper playing violin at Interlochen Arts Camp, Aaron Parness was laying the foundation for his success as a principal research scientist on Amazon’s robotics and AI team. He was learning that no one starts out an expert; that with a lot of practice, improvement happens over time, and that in life--as in orchestra--collaboration is essential. Aaron studied both mechanical engineering and creative writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then completed his graduate work in mechanical engineering at Stanford. He went on to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a robotics engineer, where he founded the Robotics Prototyping Lab. Now at Amazon, Aaron focuses on robotic manipulation, developing new capabilities for the fulfillment process both inside and outside the warehouse.
One of my greatest assets at work has been my ability to concentrate intensely on a complex task. Reaching that state of 'flow' is something I probably first experienced playing the violin.
