Rodrigo Cartagena

Welcome

Hello! I'm Rodrigo Cartagena.

I grew up in Bolivia, a country of mountains, jungles, and huge open landscapes that often feel like a different world. Traveling between places was not always easy or affordable, so airplanes always fascinated me. They could cross the Andes, fly over the Amazon, and connect distant cities in only a few hours. What started as childhood curiosity eventually became a real passion.

That interest in aviation quickly led me to STEM, especially mathematics, physics, and astronomy. Over time, I had the opportunity to compete in international science and math competitions representing Bolivia, which helped me develop discipline, curiosity, and persistence. One lesson that stayed with me is that it is not enough to admire technology. If you truly care about it, you have to understand how it works and think about how it can be improved. I hope to contribute to a future where aviation becomes more efficient, accessible, and environmentally responsible.

Outside of science, I enjoy music and creative activities. Playing the violin and piano has taught me patience and attention to detail, while astronomy constantly reminds me how vast and fascinating the universe is. I also enjoy chess, which challenges me to think ahead and approach problems strategically.

I love traveling, exploring new places, and learning about different cultures. Every experience motivates me to aim higher and work harder toward my long term goal of helping develop technologies that make transportation cleaner, more efficient, and more accessible.

Thank you for visiting my website and following my journey. I believe technology should connect people, protect our planet, and create opportunities for future generations.

And remember, the sky is only the beginning.

Recommended pages:

GitHub Profile

My CV

My contact information:

Houston, TX | P: +1 832 406 0447
Email: rodrigocartagenav10@gmail.com
Let's connect on LinkedIn

Education

JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL – Houston, TX

Relevant coursework: AP Computer Science A & B, AP Seminar, AP Human Geography (2024-2028)

Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy TX, USA
Alemán-Deutsche Schule Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Selected Honors & Awards

International Awards

Gold Medal, International Mathematics Olympiad Challenge (IMOC) (2023)
Silver Medal, Newtonian International Physics Olympiad Challenge (NIPOC), Indonesia (2022, 2024)
Silver Medal, Copernicus Olympiad Astronomy and Physics, USA (2024)
Silver Medal, World Young Physicist Olympiad (WYPO) (2022, 2023)
Bronze Medal, Copernicus Olympiad Mathematics Global Round, New York (2024)
Bronze Medal, Galileo International Astronomy Olympiad (GIAO) (2023)
Honorable Mention, AMC 8 – USA (2024)
Bronze Medal, International Geometry Olympiad Challenge (IGOC)
Honorable Mention, International Trigonometry Olympiad (ITO) – Indonesia (2023)
Honorable Mention, Young Mathematicians Tournament
Silver Medal, TalentGO – Peru (2021)
Gold Medal, Mateam – Mexico (2021)

National & Regional Awards

Green Ribbon, German State Contest: Reading Comprehension, San Marcos TX (2026)
Silver Medal, German Houstonfest Contest: Reading Comprehension, Houston TX (2026)
Gold Medal, German Houstonfest Contest: Trivia, Houston TX (2026)
Bronze Medal, German State Contest: Skit, San Marcos TX (2025)
Bronze Medal, German Houstonfest Contest: Vocabulary, Houston TX (2025)
Silver Medal, Physics Olympiad (OCEPB), Bolivia (2022, 2023)
Silver Medal, Canguro Matemático (National) (2023)
Silver Medal, UPSA-MAT (Regional) (2022)
Senate Chamber Tribute, Bolivia (2024)
Honorable Mention, AMC 8 – Bolivia-USA (2023)
Honorable Mention, EULER

Relevant Workshops & Training

STEM & Aerospace

Principles of Aerodynamics: Houston Youth Rocketry (2024)
Tapia Camp STEM: Rice University (2024)
Intro to Astronomy & Astrophysics: Astro CBA Academy (2023)
Astrophysics Level 2 & Physics Training: Awesomemath Academy (2023)
Flight Lessons Introduction: Escuela de Vuelo Virtual Academy (2023)
Engineering: Solving Real-World Problems, Rice University (2025)

Mathematics & Coding

Hackathon member in CS Club - Jordan High School (2025-2026)
AI Scholars Winter Program - Research on Searching for Exoplanets: Inspirit AI (2025)
Preparation for Pre Calculus and Algebra 2 summer program: Rice University School Mathematics Project’s (RUSMP) (2025)
Stanford Daily Technology Workshop: Stanford University (2025)
AMC 10 Preparation: AlphaStar & AoPS Academy (2025)
AMC 8 Preparation: Math Academy Perú & AoPS Academy (2022–2024)
Elemental Course C++: Elemental Academy (2021)
Advanced Math Olympiad Training: Infinitum Academy & Grupo Mate (2022–2023)

Business & Leadership

The Knowledge Society Innovator: TKS (2025-2026)
Y Combinator Summer Meetup: San Francisco, CA (2025)
Public speaking and Leadership Program: Inspiration Masters (2025-2026)
Business Classes: MBA Kids Academy (2023)

Activities & Interests

Languages: English (Advanced) | Spanish (Native) | Guaraní-Indigenous (Basic) | German (Intermediate) | Portuguese (Basic)
Hobbies and Interests: Violin | Piano | Astronomy Club | Swimming | Tennis | Basketball

Communities

Canguro Matematico - Bolivia

It is the Bolivian branch of Kangourou sans Frontières, the world's most significant international mathematics competition. The Sociedad Boliviana de Educación Matemática and the Olimpiada Matemática Boliviana organize it to encourage mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills in students from third grade in elementary school to sixth grade in secondary school.

Team Infinitum

A reputable organization for its excellence in preparing young people for national and worldwide arithmetic competitions. Their programs focus on advanced mathematical theories, logical thinking, and problem-solving techniques to give participants excellent comprehension and appreciation of mathematics.

AstroCBA

The Bolivian American Center (CBA) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, is home to this young astronomy group. They aim to pique children's and teenagers' interest in and enthusiasm for the stars! They host astronomy workshops, telescope evenings, and even departmental astronomy Olympiads for younger students, among other entertaining and instructive events. Additionally, AstroCBA is pleased to send students to compete internationally, such as the Latin American Astronomy Olympiads, on behalf of Bolivia.

Fundamentally, AstroCBA's goal is to introduce young people to the cosmos one starry night at a time.

Virtual Flight School Bolivia (EVV)

A pioneer organization in Bolivia for online aviation education was established in 2022 and uses cutting-edge flying simulators, such as Virtual Reality (VR) technology, to provide theoretical and hands-on training programs. Through its courses, students can obtain experience in a highly realistic setting before flying real aircraft, ranging from introductory levels for kids to programs for private and commercial pilots.

Webinars

Black Holes

In my webinar about black holes, I explained how these mysterious giants can absorb and change the energy and matter of nearby stars to grow even bigger. I used simple examples and cool pictures to make it easy for everybody to understand. I loved talking about one of the most incredible things about the world, and I hope it makes more people want to stay interested and keep exploring space.

Projects

Sky Match: Fighter Jets

It is a matching pairs game, which requires players to find and identify concealed cards, recognizing the name, model, and key features of the aircraft. This improves working memory and focus, which decline with age but can be maintained with mental training. It also boosts visual and spatial memory, which helps the brain establish new neural connections and build cognitive resilience. Moreover, improving or winning boosts self-esteem and delight, making it more than a mental workout.

Blue Sky Builders

Reimagining aviation's future is the goal of this game, not merely building airports or flying planes! Players learn sustainability tactics and enjoy competition and collaboration by making wise choices to cut CO₂ emissions. It's a fun, hands-on method to promote greener skies and demonstrate that innovation and sustainability coexist. Every move contributes to a better tomorrow.

3D Printer

My favorite tool is my 3D printer! I use it to build scale aviation models and custom parts to realize my ideas. Designing something on a computer and seeing it evolve is fascinating. My 3D printing projects teach me about aerodynamics, engineering, and problem-solving.

Blogs

Wings Over Houston Air Show

Photos, highlights, and notes from the show.
Skyward Emissions: How Aviation Fuel Use Has Changed

Data, context, and what to watch in decarbonizing flight.

Wings Over Houston Air Show

Highlights from the show, favorite aircraft, and learning takeaways. (Add your write-up and photos here.)

Skyward Emissions: How Aviation Fuel Use Has Changed — and What It Means for Climate Change

Aviation is a small share of global energy use but punches above its weight in climate impact. Over the last decades, new aircraft and operations have made flying far more fuel-efficient. Still, global jet fuel consumption and the climate footprint of the sector remain large — and the industry faces a steep challenge to decarbonize at the scale and speed climate science demands.

What the data show

Global jet fuel demand fell during the COVID shock but rebounded quickly as travel recovered. The IEA’s historical charts show year-by-year jet-fuel consumption trends (2013–2021) and are a good starting point for plotting recent recovery and pre-pandemic growth.

Longer-term efficiency gains are real: analyses by the ICCT find the average fuel burn of newly delivered jets decreased by roughly 43% from 1970 to 2024, averaging about a 1% per-year reduction in block fuel intensity. Those gains come from better engines, lighter airframes, and improved operations — but improvements have slowed recently.

Yet despite efficiency gains, sustainable fuels and zero-carbon propulsion are still tiny in the overall fuel mix. The IEA notes SAFs account for well under 1% of aviation fuel consumed today — meaning nearly all jet fuel burned is fossil kerosene.

Finally, the policy and industrial picture is mixed: ICAO’s CORSIA mechanism and airline pledges aim for net-zero by 2050, but reporting and offset integrity remain contested; recent reporting has shown many announced SAF projects have stalled or failed, limiting near-term supply growth.

Why aviation matters for climate

Aviation emissions are unique: aircraft emit CO₂ at altitude, and contrails and other non-CO₂ effects (NOₓ, contrail cirrus) multiply their warming impact. Even if aviation stays a single-digit percentage of global CO₂ today, rapid post-pandemic traffic growth without meaningful fuel replacement would push cumulative warming higher — a problem climate models flag as significant for reaching Paris targets.

Solutions & what big companies are doing

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)

SAF (HEFA, waste-to-jet, power-to-liquid) can cut lifecycle CO₂ vs fossil jet fuel, but supply is tiny and production is expensive. Airlines and oil/energy firms have launched SAF partnerships and offtake agreements (for example United’s SAF program), but many announced projects have been delayed or canceled, and independent reporting shows only a small fraction of announced SAF plants are operational.

Hydrogen and fuel cells / combustion

Aircraft makers are exploring hydrogen long-term. Airbus has public ZEROe hydrogen concept work and continues R&D into hydrogen fuel-cell and turbine concepts; startups like ZeroAvia are developing hydrogen powertrains, though the commercial path to scale is uncertain.