Ivy Christensen

• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2019

• Syracuse University, Mechanical Engineering, '19

• Host Institution: Sierra Nevada Corporation

• Mentor: Phil Larson

Ivy is currently a Resident Freelance Design Engineer at NewLab in Brooklyn, NY. Previously, she was a Control Systems Engineer at LAUNCHER, designing the electronic control systems and ignition system for their NASA SSC Test Stand, where they tested their first full scale E2 Engine. Ivy also taught K-12 hands-on Engineering Design classes at various schools across NYC with the non-profit STEM Kids NYC.

Ivy graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in mechanical engineering and spent her four years of undergrad volunteering and working for an initiative called Engineering Ambassadors that promotes STEM and literacy in Syracuse middle schools.

As a 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow, she interned at Sierra Nevada Corporation as a flight software engineer for the Dream Chaser spaceplane. As an alumna, Ivy has been a BOF Grand Challenge Track Lead for the 2020 and 2021 Summits.

In her spare time, Ivy loves to paint, travel, and read about the intersections of art, music, space, and time. She sees an interest in space as a way to bring people together, across all backgrounds and cultures. She aims to aid in keeping space a place where anyone is welcome to explore as well as preserving the environment for the future generations.