36 UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN SELECTED AS BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS, EARNING SENIOR MENTORSHIP AND PAID POSITIONS AT LEADING AEROSPACE FIRMS
Brooke Owens Fellowship Program Helps Address Historical Underrepresentation of Women in Aviation and Space Exploration by Identifying and Training World-Class Talent
MARCH 8, 2017 - WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program - a volunteer-led program awarding internships and senior mentorship to exceptional undergraduate women seeking careers in aviation or space exploration - announced 36 young leaders as recipients of 2017 Brooke Owens Fellowships. After completing a rigorous and highly competitive application and multi-phase interview process, each Fellow has been placed into a paid summer internship at one of the nation's leading aviation or space companies.
The 36 Fellows were selected from an applicant pool comprised of promising students enrolled in Ivy League universities, major research universities, historically black colleges and universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and major international universities. Each candidate was evaluated on the basis of her technical excellence, creativity, commitment to service, and career growth potential. The 2017 class of Fellows encompasses students pursuing careers in engineering, policy, journalism, business development, and combinations thereof.
In addition to their paid summer work experience, each Fellow has been paired with two hand-picked, senior aerospace professionals to serve as mentors. One of those mentors will be from the Fellow's host company or institution, while the other will be from a different part of industry. The pool of mentors includes the two most recent Deputy Administrators of NASA, NASA's most recent Chief Scientist, the President of SpaceX, the CEO of Virgin Galactic, a five-time space shuttle astronaut, and many more.
The Brooke Owens Fellowship Program was founded in 2016 to honor the memory of beloved space industry pioneer and accomplished pilot D. Brooke Owens, who passed away in June 2016 at the age of 35, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. The program was co-founded by Lori Garver, the former Deputy Administrator of NASA and now General Manager at the Air Line Pilots Association; Cassie Lee, the Director of Aerospace Applications at Vulcan, Inc.; and William Pomerantz, the Vice President of Special Projects at Virgin Galactic. The vision of Garver, Lee, and Pomerantz - close friends and former colleagues of Owens - is to create a cohort of young women interested in aviation and space who have the knowledge and relationships to enter the workforce and advance a positive future in her spirit. The Program is operated as a non-profit initiative under the Future Space Leaders Forum.
Ms. Garver says of the Fellows: "Our 36 Brooke Owens Fellows in the Class of 2017 are an astonishingly talented bunch. These women have the potential not only to contribute to the aerospace industry but to lead it. In a career full of inspiring projects and impressive individuals, helping create this program and getting to know these new Fellows has been an absolute highlight. On behalf of my co-founders, I express our deepest gratitude to our Fellows, to all our applicants, and particularly to our 24 host institutions and our nearly 60 mentors for sharing our belief that women have an enormous amount to contribute to the pursuit of excellence in aviation and space exploration."
The Brooke Owens Fellows, Class of 2017:
The Aerospace Corporation: Jocelyn Clancy (University of Southern California, Astronautical Engineering, Class of 2019)
The Aerospace Corporation: Katherine Carroll (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2019)
The Aerospace Corporation: Makiah Eustice (Texas A&M University, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2018)
Air Line Pilots Association: Maryam Gracias (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Commercial Space Operations, Class of 2018)
Air Line Pilots Association: Rachael McKee (Metropolitan State University of Denver, Aviation & Aerospace Operations, Class of 2018)
Altius Space Machines: Shreya Udupa (Arizona State University, Aerospace Engineering / Economics, Class of 2017)
Avascent: Morgan Irons (Duke University, Environmental Science / Biology, Class of 2017)
Ball Aerospace: Mady Sargent (University of Kansas, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2019)
Ball Aerospace: Taylor Zedosky (University of South Carolina, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Blue Origin: Golda Nguyen (Georgia Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2017)
Bryce Space and Technology: Amy Comeau (Purdue University, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Bryce Space and Technology: Caroline Juang (Harvard University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Class of 2017)
Commercial Spaceflight Federation: Emily Sheffield (Harding University, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2018)
GeekWire: Chelsey Ballarte (Arizona State University, Journalism and Mass Communication, Class of 2017)
Generation Orbit: Michaela Spaulding (Iowa State University, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2018)
HawkEye 360: Karen Rucker (Texas Tech University, Electrical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Made In Space: Maggie Goertzen (University of Utah, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2017)
Mojave Air and Space Port: Hayley Lewis (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Commercial Space Operations, Class of 2018)
Mojave Air and Space Port: Jasmine Q. Smith (Tuskegee University, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2020)
The Museum of Flight: Kaitlin Engelbert (University of Colorado, Boulder, Astronomy, Class of 2019)
Orbital ATK: Pau Pineda Bosque (Purdue University, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Orbital ATK: Sumayya Abukhalil (University of Central Florida, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2018)
Planet: Maddie Miller (Union College, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2019)
Planetary Resources: Becca Thoss (University of Southern California, Chemical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Planetary Resources: Dahlia Baker (Coe College, Physics and Mathematics, Class of 2018)
Scaled Composites: Karen Kuhlman (Oregon State University, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Sierra Nevada Corp.: Amanda Turk (University of Colorado, Boulder, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2017)
Sierra Nevada Corp: Justine Walker (College of Wooster, Physics / Dance, Class of 2018)
SpaceX: Dawn Andrews (Georgia Institute of Technology, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2018)
SSL: Roselin Campos (University of California, Los Angeles, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2017)
Virgin Orbit: Christine Reilly (University of Colorado, Boulder, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2018)
Virgin Orbit: Diana Alsindy (University of California, San Diego, Chemical Engineering, Class of 2017)
Virgin Orbit: Ninoshka Llontop Lozano (University of Illinois at Chicago, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2018)
Virgin Orbit: Piper Sigrest (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aerospace Engineering Class of 2018)
Vulcan Aerospace: Christine Chappelle (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2019)
XPRIZE: Sasha Warren (Durham University (UK), Geosciences, Class of 2018)