• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

• Stanford University, Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science, ‘25

• Host Institution: Relativity

• Mentor: Anita Sengupta

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Eleanor is determined to be the first person on Mars. As a sophomore at Stanford University, she is fulfilling her dream by majoring in Aero/Astro engineering and Computer Science. As a part of Stanford’s Student Space Initiative, she is L1 certified, co-leads the Olympus AV subteam, and leads the Fountain Hopper AV subteam.

Space related research is one of Eleanor’s life-long passions. In middle school, she was nationally awarded for her research on cold gas rocket nozzles. Currently, Eleanor is developing a novel microgravity fluid management technique. She flew her fluid management experiment aboard a Zero-G flight and Blue Origin’s New Shepard. Her novel approach to slosh mitigation earned national recognition through ISEF, Regeneron STS, and the Davidson Fellows. Eleanor continues to mature her technology and plans to bring it to market. Outside of the lab (that is, her kitchen table), Eleanor interned with NASA in 2019 to develop an ejectable data recorder for heat shield testing. She also worked as a computer science intern with Aurora Flight Sciences for two years. At Aurora, Eleanor designed and built a command and control system for a Mobile Operations Vehicle and created a tool to analyze sensor data from autonomous aircraft flights.

Staring into the night sky with her siblings and naming the constellations was a childhood tradition that fueled Eleanor’s obsession with the cosmos. She became intrigued with the interdisciplinary nature of space after experiencing the final Shuttle launch, visiting a sewing lab at NASA Goddard, meeting a physician-turned-astronaut, and reading about The Martian’s botanist and computer science mission specialist. Now, Eleanor strives to be her own powerful queer, female example. Representation in STEM is extremely important to Eleanor. Growing up, she competed in robotics where she felt the need for inclusion, and attended STEM conferences where she witnessed strong role models - especially her older siblings. They inspired her to be a mentor. She regularly advocates for representation through keynote addresses and a network of annual workshops.

Eleanor lives for unexpected opportunities: piloting a historical B-17, welding, mutton busting, replacing car engines, jamming out to Broadway musicals, sketching at coffee shops, or playing impromptu violin trios with her siblings. She has been playing violin since she was five, is a multi-instrumentalist, and is part of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra. Eleanor also loves fiber arts and teaches weaving at colonial fairs.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Eleanor is excited to combine her love of Computer Science and Space as an embedded software intern with Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA. Eleanor is excited to join a community of like-minded people who strive to make aerospace accessible and propel humanity towards the stars.