My Story and My Passion

My interest in propulsion systems and aerospace engineering in general stems from my experiences at Rochester High School. While attending RHS, I was a four year member of the robotics team and excelled in my math and science courses. As a member of the robotics team, we were given six weeks every year to construct a machine that could perform a certain task and perform it better than any other machine once entered into competition. This six-week cycle gave me a first taste of what engineering was like: finding a solution to a problem through collaboration and innovation within a specified time frame.

Rochester High School FIRST Robotics team at 2008 National Championship in Atlanta, GA

After four years of building machines and competing in the contests that followed, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. Once I reached the University of Michigan, I had to decide what engineering field I wanted to be in. All my life, I had been fascinated with airplanes, rockets, and all things that could fly. I loved science fiction and enjoyed the thrill of flying in an airplane. So in the end, it was no surprise that after two years at the University of Michigan, I decided to declare my major in aerospace engineering. 

The more I learned about the field, the more I knew I had made the right choice. Every bit of the aerospace curriculum was interesting to me, but it was the propulsion systems in particular that piqued my interest. I loved learning about the composition of gas turbine engines and rocket engines and the different types of propellant that can be used. There were so many ways thrust could be created, both conventionally and unconventionally. I was intrigued by the possibilities of electrical propulsion and even nuclear propulsion systems being integrated into the structures of future spacecraft. 

Both of my senior design projects were focused around propulsion. In the first, my team of seven engineers worked to create a chemical propulsion system that would successfully transport a small satellite to the Mars moon Phobos and back. The second project involved creating a test procedure to help design an exhaust-driven fan for a student competition group. In this project, my team of four engineers used a test stand in the aerospace lab to generate thrust and velocity measurements from several different fan blades. Using this data, we could determine which fan blade was optimal for use in the machine. 

Even though the propulsion system field has dramatically improved since man started to take flight, there are still many ways to do better. These systems can be more efficient, more powerful, more environmentally-conscious, and lighter. In becoming an aerospace engineer, I want to be a part of perfecting the propulsion system formula. I want my company to produce the best jet/rocket engines in the world, now and into the future.