• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

• The University of Texas at El Paso, Physics, ‘23

• Host Institution: Draper

• Mentor: TBD

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Alexis Lupo is an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), receiving a Bachelor of Science in Physics with a minor in Computer Science in May of 2023. Inspired by her father’s love of space, her interest in discovering the systems scientists develop to study the world, and her research experiences, Alexis discovered her passions lie within developing space exploration technologies.

Growing up as a Belizean American woman, Alexis faced a lack of role models from similar backgrounds. This experience led to her interest and involvement in leadership positions to increase diversity in science by inspiring others from diverse backgrounds to pursue their dreams in STEM. Alexis dedicates her time as a four-time officer in the Society of Physics Students to teaching peers how to pursue their long-term career goals by guiding them to apply to research opportunities and creating outreach programs to familiarize local and Mexican high school students with opportunities in STEM. She believes these opportunities are vital to improving social, educational, and economic disparities.

Alexis is also involved in the Sun City Summit Rocket Team, where she leads the propulsion team. She works to safely produce the successful powered flight of a rocket using solid propulsion motors through trade studies, simulations, and testing. This work led to a successful launch at the Spaceport America Cup 2022 competition. She will be competing at Spaceport America Cup 2023 with her team. Alexis is also an active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space student organizations. As part of these organizations, Alexis has volunteered at the El Paso Space Festival to teach local students from elementary to high school ages about model rocketry, the opportunities available to them in STEM, and the opportunities available to them at UTEP. Outside school, Alexis is a volunteer judge for Future Engineers competitions and has volunteered in three NASA contests.

As a research assistant at the UTEP Aerospace Center, Alexis has worked on testing the feasibility of ion-propelled aircraft to search for habitable terrain on Mars and the development of two in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) mining rovers based on plasma principles that will collect volatiles from icy craters on the Moon. These projects have thus far resulted in two first-author publications accepted as part of the 2022 Southwest Emerging Technology Symposium. She has also participated in two summer research internships related to aerospace technology development at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the MIT Haystack Observatory. At UAH, Alexis worked on testing and assembling the science payload for two CubeSats - a gamma-ray detector. While at the MIT Haystack Observatory, Alexis modeled the interference effect of space plasma on the vector sensor antenna of two CubeSats. As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Alexis is excited to intern at Draper.

After graduation, Alexis aims to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Her work and leadership experiences have inspired her to pursue a career in researching plasma-based space exploration technologies. Alexis would also love to work in a position where she can continue mentoring people from diverse backgrounds pursuing STEM careers.