Testimonials

I have acquired an interest in the field of materials through my work on this project; the project has given me a greater overall understanding of research design and techniques, and it has also allowed me to gain insight into how broad the field of materials is. This expansive range of potential applications is appealing to me, and was a key factor in my decision to choose a Mechanical Engineering minor with specialization in Materials Engineering as an undergrad, which ultimately led to my current studies in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University.

FSGC was able to fund my research during my graduate student at UCF. The work I was able to complete thanks to the program enabled my published work to land me my job working for the Department of Defense.

I’ve personally been a launch conductor and launch controller for over 40 Falcon 9 launches. Helped develop the current engine (M1D) used on the Falcon 9 rocket. Currently working as a Dragon Fluids engineer and just help load the hyperbolic propellant onto our first crewed Dragon mission!

The Florida Space Grant has truly shaped my education career in many ways. It helped shape my interest in developing technologies and research methods which I have been able to
implement to this day. My Master’s thesis project although not aerospace related, has been a deep dive investigation and research in integrating technology with our healthcare spaces that
we design and even our everyday. The same methodology I used during my time in the Florida Space Grant Program at University of Miami School of Architecture, I have further developed and used for the way I design and integrate research into my projects. It has been a huge impact and allowed me to establish rigorous work ethics to fulfill my projects.

Participation in the Florida Space Grant helped spur my interest in aerospace research by
letting me focus on the research aspects of my master’s program. Since then I have begun
pursuing a PhD in aerospace engineering to continue the research that I began while
participating in the Florida Space Grant.

This grant helped me achieve my research goals during my undergraduate career, which led to
my acceptance to graduate school. These steps have taken me to where I am today, developing
new technology as a startup company.

My name is Latira Campbell. You wanted me to speak about how my education is going and the career I am planning for. Well I’m a double major. I major in both Computer Science and Mathematics. However mathematics is the love of my life. I’m a junior now at Bethune Cookman University and so far I have kept my 4.0 the entire time. I’m really thankful for the grant because I get financial aid but with the credits I take for both majors, I still have to take out money or put a bit in. I hope to go on from here to get a PhD in Mathematics. I’m not quite sure what I want to do career wise yet but so far I have done an internship in Alaska and I’m planning to do an internship with NASA one day. So far I think I’m doing really well. I can’t wait to do more and learn what I like most. Thank you for everything.

In terms of life lessons, the Florida Space Grant experience at Ames has taught me to never give up on my career, no matter how difficult the challenges that may arise are. It is an honor to be a Florida Space Grant Alumni. Thank you for this great opportunity.

My experience at the NASA Academy at Langley funded by the Florida Space Grant Consortium allowed me to connect with 15 other interns across various educational and cultural backgrounds and make lifelong connections. We were recently able to celebrate our time together and present our research findings to the world at the AIAA SciTech conference in Orlando, allowing us to wrap up this once-in-a-lifetime experience on a great note. We intend to continue to stay connected through the years and support each other in our future endeavors.

Gave me the toolset to do research