B.S. Aerospace Engineering | Class of 2021 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Williams’ research into the science behind hypersonic vehicle reentry led to her becoming the first recipient of the Scott R. White Aerospace Engineering Visionary Scholarship. As an intern at GE Aviation, her work helped to expedite development of GEnx-1B engines, and as an intern at Boeing, she contributed to digital and array electronic product design for the Boeing Satellite Development Center.

Williams is president of the Women in Aerospace (WIA) student organization on her campus, and she created a WIA development committee to improve retention of women in aerospace engineering through outreach efforts. She has developed several courses at the university, including a new engineering course to introduce students to satellite development research opportunities on campus. Williams is lead tutor at the Center for Academic Resources in Engineering, and she mentors students through the Illinois Leadership Center.

Graduate Student, Aeronautics and Astronautics | Class of 2022 | Purdue University | B.S. Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering | Class of 2020 | Purdue University

Kren is working to increase diversity in STEM through leadership in several initiatives and organizations at Purdue University. As president and outreach chair of Purdue’s Women in Aerospace organization, Kren increased undergraduate member involvement by 15% and co-founded a student organization to increase women in STEM through cross-departmental collaboration. She served as outreach board assistant for the Society of Women Engineers and ambassador for the Aerospace Graduate Women’s Gathering.

As a graduate research assistant at Purdue’s Zucrow Laboratories, Kren is helping to test propulsion devices for aerospace companies. She co-led the test campaign for an engine cycle heat exchanger, and she is supporting a nuclear-thermal exhaust device test campaign. Kren has completed two co-op rotations at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and interned at Blue Origin and GE Aviation.

Undergraduate Student, Physics | Class of 2022 | Columbia University

As project co-lead for the NASA-funded Characterizing Antibiotic Resistance in Microgravity Environments (CARMEn) experiment, Ravi’s research will serve as a foundation for future aerospace biomedical technologies. The experiment is slated to fly on SpaceX 24 to study how the growth and antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microorganisms in space are influenced by interactions with each other and the microgravity environment. Ravi is overseeing a team of 25 students, managing the project’s NASA grant and communicating with NASA and Nanoracks for safety reviews.

Ravi also is co-president of the Columbia Space Initiative, where she has developed virtual aerospace lesson plans and lecture series for K-12 students during the pandemic. Before the transition to virtual learning, she organized two full-day aerospace workshops for middle school students. She teaches weekly math classes to K-12 students and has developed an astronomy curriculum for several local Girl Scout troops.