• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2025

• Cerritos College, Aerospace Engineering, ‘27

• Host Institution: iSpace

• Mentor: TBD

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Peijuan is passionate about combining technical innovation with community impact to advance aerospace engineering and inspire future generations in STEM. During her internship at Caltech’s Autonomous Robotics and Control Lab, she contributed to the NASA BIG Idea Challenge as part of the PILLARS project, which focuses on developing a deployable inflatable system to mitigate lunar dust during landing operations. Peijuan played a key role in designing and testing deployable mechanisms, including an inflatable bladder and super-elastic alloy structures, while conducting material research, theoretical calculations, and autonomous deployment experiments.

Currently, Peijuan is competing in the VEXU international robotics competition, where she collaborates with her team to design, build, and program autonomous and driver-controlled robots. This experience has sharpened her skills in robotics, problem-solving, and teamwork under tight deadlines, further fueling her passion for engineering innovation and practical applications of robotics in aerospace.

Peijuan is also dedicated to mentoring community college students, offering guidance on transfer processes, internships, and opportunities for growth in STEM fields. Looking ahead, she envisions creating outreach programs in Southern California to empower students from underrepresented backgrounds. Her initiative would provide mentorship, hands-on STEM experiences, and college readiness support, helping young minds achieve their potential in science and engineering.

With a strong foundation in aerospace engineering, robotics, and a passion for space exploration, Peijuan is eager to contribute to innovative projects that drive human space exploration and sustainable technologies. She looks forward to tackling complex challenges and creating impactful solutions that shape the future of aerospace.