• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2024

• NC State University, Aerospace Engineering, ‘25

• Host Institution: Stratolaunch

• Mentor: Stephanie Luongo

• Brookie Mentor: Shreya Gowda

Abigail Kuppler is a junior at NC State University, majoring in Aerospace Engineering. This summer, Abby is thrilled to be interning at Stratolaunch in Mojave, CA as a Brooke Owens Fellow!

Ever since Abby was little, she has been obsessed with things that can fly and in turn, the sensation of “falling”. Her parents enrolled her in a local gymnastics class and almost immediately she was hooked. Flipping around the gym was the closest thing to flying that she’d experienced! Thirteen years later after countless hours in the gym, Abby’s love for “flight” had exponentially increased. The world of aerospace engineering was introduced to her when a Boeing flight test engineer visited her high school. As a result, Abigail dedicated the rest of her highschool career to exploring the engineering and aerospace field by becoming the co-president of her school’s engineering club.

At NC State, Abby set out to explore all aspects of engineering and hobbies alike. During her freshman year, she explored fencing and joined NC State’s women’s rugby team, where she is currently a 3-year starter. The summer after her freshman year, Abby conducted biomedical engineering research in the Advanced Wound Healing Lab, under Dr. Brown and her grad mentor, Nina Moiseiwitsch. She analyzed the drug loading and release efficiencies of fibrin-based nanoparticles based on molecular weight. Through this experience, Abby learned that she loves the research process and began to explore graduate school options. More recently, Abby has been involved in NC State’s High Powered Rocketry Club, where they design and build a high-powered rocket to compete in the NASA Student Launch Initiative. One of her favorite projects so far has been building a supersonic rocket, as one of the club’s side projects! Over the summer Abby worked as a camp counselor for an aerospace engineering camp where she got to share her passion for aerospace with high school students, as well as various engineering concepts. Additionally, she recently completed the ground-school portion toward her goal to obtain her private pilot’s license!

Overall, Abigail makes it her life-long mission to explore as many hobbies, sports, and interests as possible! She is extremely passionate about learning and teaching others about STEM related topics! Some of her current hobbies include crocheting, book-binding, and reading. Additionally, Abby is heavily involved in her community. She is a life-long member of the Girl Scouts of America and has amassed countless hours of community service, along with earning her Bronze and Silver Awards. She especially enjoys service work that aims to empower and encourage girls to explore STEM related careers!