Sara Lanctot, a mechanical engineering student at New Mexico Tech, served on a panel featuring interns in a student-run effort between the NASA Centers to encourage communication and networking between each Center’s intern populations. The online discussion was one of several events held to mark AIAA Professional Week.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a society for professionals in the field of aerospace engineering. Sara is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering.
The webinar featured questions and answers about internships at NASA and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“It is a great experience,” Sara said of her spring internship at NASA. “They make you feel like you’re among family, and they are supportive of student work/research. I have had an enjoyable experience during my internship, where I have learned a lot from the work I am doing in logistics and outside the agency. NASA has its own intern club, which helps to do networking and learn about many other areas.”
Sara’s research includes work on lunar dust mitigation for EVA suits; moon exploration robotics to assist Artemis Missions; autonomous drones for underground mines and for polar research; and drilling mechanisms for space and Earth ice sampling. She has two published papers, one accepted for the AIAA Aviation Conference, and five more that are under review for the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and seven poster presentations.
Sara has already been accepted for a summer internship with Los Alamos National Lab, NMT said.
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