• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

• Stanford University, Mechanical Engineering, ‘25

• Host Institution: Relativity

• Mentor: Zachary Krevor

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Jolene Lee is a sophomore at Stanford University majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Her childhood interests in bikes and skateboards evolved into a lifelong love for hands-on engineering, whereas her involvement in astronomy through Science Olympiad led to her fascination with space.

During her time at Stanford, Jolene has nurtured her interest in aerospace through the Stanford Student Space Initiative within the Mars and Rockets team. As the Mars co-lead, she helped engineer and launch a payload to the International Space Station as a part of the NASA Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS) program. The payload tested the effects of microgravity on biopolymer soil composites, a novel sustainable alternative to concrete that leverages in situ resource utilization. Watching the rocket launch at Cape Canaveral was a dream come true. Jolene has also led the project’s outreach workshops, introducing younger students to the excitement of space research. Within the Rockets team, she co-leads the Fountain Hopper Experimental subteam, which aims to launch and retro-propulsively land the first collegiate thrust vector controlled rocket.

Jolene saw her future in aerospace when she worked with welcoming, talented engineers at Joby Aviation the summer after her freshman year. Working in the Powertrain and Electronics team to create enclosures for small electronics, she helped push the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft towards FAA certification while exploring multiple areas of mechanical engineering, such as thermal testing and designing for manufacturability.

Outside of engineering, Jolene is a Seeds of Change Leader at Stanford’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. She conducts gender inequality research while engaging in service learning as a mentor for California High School’s Girls in Tek club. As a Taiwanese American, she is also passionate about uplifting minority women in STEM through inclusive STEM education. For the past couple of summers, Jolene has partnered with Women Who Code Taipei and Dell Women in Action to host Taiwan’s first free summer coding camp for girls, reaching over 200 students internationally with her bilingual curriculum.

In her free time, Jolene is a dedicated ultimate frisbee player and oboist. She is the co-captain of the Stanford Women’s Ultimate team Firefly and an oboist in chamber ensembles and pit orchestras on campus. She also enjoys hiking, stargazing, and taking photos.

As a 2023 Brooke Owens Fellow, Jolene can’t wait to work as a Propulsion Engineer Intern with Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA. During this time, she hopes to make space exploration and travel more accessible and sustainable with Relativity’s unique metal 3D printing capabilities.