One of the projects that has greatly influenced my interests was the opportunity to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, developing control systems for autonomous aerial vehicles. Over the course of a few months, our project progressed from just concepts and designs on a computer screen to hardware that we were able to fly and test. I fell in love with the design and prototyping process but this experience also opened further doors. Having the opportunity to speak to top-of-their-field engineers opened my eyes to a wide variety of disciplines and specialties I had previously not considered, from astronautics and space exploration to autonomous algorithms and human-technology interactions. I am currently an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering, specializing in robotics and mechanical structures, and I hope to pursue graduate studies and eventually attain a position in industry research and development. But the question of what the future holds is so much vaguer than simply what I have planned, and I'm excited to find out what problems I'll get to solve!
One of the projects that has greatly influenced my interests was the opportunity to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, developing control systems for autonomous aerial vehicles. Over the course of a few months, our project progressed from just concepts and designs on a computer screen to hardware that we were able to fly and test. I fell in love with the design and prototyping process but this experience also opened further doors. Having the opportunity to speak to top-of-their-field engineers opened my eyes to a wide variety of disciplines and specialties I had previously not considered, from astronautics and space exploration to autonomous algorithms and human-technology interactions. I am currently an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering, specializing in robotics and mechanical structures, and I hope to pursue graduate studies and eventually attain a position in industry research and development. But the question of what the future holds is so much vaguer than simply what I have planned, and I'm excited to find out what problems I'll get to solve!