Utah “Space” University

Transcript

Okay, now this is exciting. We’re gonna head over and meet Grace. She’s a senior majoring in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace. She’s gonna tell us about the out-of-this world opportunities Utah State offers as a NASA space grant university, and some of the projects students are working on sending into space. Grace, take it away.

– Thanks, Alex. Nearly everyone is interested in space as a kid, but for me that curiosity never really died, but I didn’t know that I could work in the aerospace industry until I got to Utah State. I’ve worked for big government corporations, a company that has launched a mission to every planet in the solar system, and now I work with small rocket startups. Utah State has a rich history in aerospace. Right down the street is Space Dynamics Laboratory, or SDL, which focuses on building space-ready components for government and commercial satellites. And many people from SDL come and talk to Utah State students to give us a better understanding about what’s going on in the aerospace industry. There are several groups on campus that focus on space-related projects. The university Rover Club competes in an international rover competition every year in Southern Utah. There’s also a research group that’s studying using plastic as rocket fuel. And Utah State’s Getaway Special Team has been working for the past two years on a satellite that’s expected to launch this fall as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. This is the first time an undergrad-led team at Utah State has launched a satellite. Through clubs, such as the Society of Women in Engineering and the Engineering Council, I got to meet the lead scientist on a mission that is currently studying the sun. I got to fly to Florida to watch that mission launch with United Launch Alliance, and not even two years later, I got to intern with United Launch Alliance and work on their rocket, the Atlas V, which gave me the opportunity to sit in the Launch Control Center, and say go on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. The College of Engineering’s mentorship program gave me a really strong start to my freshman year. I also learned about a lot of student organizations and organizations such as the Brooke Owens Fellowship, which gave me my very first internship. Later, I was able to leave the mentorship program and pass that knowledge along to mentees of my own. Nothing feels better than helping people get to where they wanna be. And that’s the spirit of Utah State, and really, the biggest reason I had all of these amazing opportunities in the space industry. Thanks for listening to my story. Back to you, Alex.

– Wow, Grace, that was seriously impressive. Attending mission launches, and even sitting in the control room. And it’s awesome that you had such a great experience in the mentorship program, that you decided to become a mentor yourself. That’s awesome! Hats off and thanks again for sharing that.