I actively contribute to proposal development and assuring successful contract deliverables for satellite, sounding rocket, and long-duration balloon missions. I work in concert with Center faculty to perform on sponsored projects, develop and maintain laboratory facilities, mentor and manage graduate and undergraduate researchers as the Space@VT systems engineer and lab manager.Data acquisition and analysis, mechanical and electrical design, system integration and oversight, and remote fieldwork including cross-university collaboration are just some of the significant responsibilities I take on that directly influence contract success criteria and future supplemental funding opportunities. Due to my exemplary performance on previous projects, Space@VT faculty routinely build my time into proposals and grants. I make mentorship for undergraduate and graduate students a high priority. I mentored many so far in my tenure at VT (22+ graduate and 57+ undergraduate) - training them to use lab facilities, advising them in career aspirations and opportunities, and aiding in their research tasks. Major achievements during my appointment:• Performed LAICE satellite integration and testing to satisfy LAICE contract deliverable• Designed, fabricated, tested, and reported flight data for four high-altitude balloon payloads• Preliminary design of a satellite mission for a collaborative program with Northrup Grumman• Led design of a high-altitude balloon gondola and interior electronics in support of a NASA instrument development program• Supported lab testing and in-field integration for sounding rockets, satellite payloads, and high-altitude balloon payloads

The Lower Atmosphere Ionosphere Coupling Experiment (LAICE) satellite will be the first Earth satellite to exclusively investigate the energy and momentum transfer of waves produced by low-atmosphere weather systems to the mesosphere, lower thermosphere, and ionosphere. Along with support from scientists and students at Virginia Tech and the University of Illinois, the program has funding through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and an expected launch date in mid-2016 through the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program. The LAICE 6U CubeSat will be launched into a near circular orbit between 350 and 450 km, depending on International Space Station altitude at the time of release.Some of my responsibilities as Payload Systems Engineer / VT Project Manager have included:• Coded LabView GUIs and sub-routines to command the VT payload instrument boards as well as parse, interpret, and average test data• Generated, updated, and tracked Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for the VT payload • Compiled, edited, and formatted documentation for the LAICE Critical Design Review (CDR)• Presented on behalf of the LAICE VT team at the LAICE CDR • Responsible for project scheduling, updating task lists, and calendars • Ordered, organized, and inventoried spacecraft electronics and parts• Developed agendas and documented minutes for weekly LAICE team meetings

• Led a team of students to build a payload implemented on a NASA Wallops sounding rocket launch• Payload deck included a Nitric Oxide sensor, a Piezo Dust Detector, and two IMUs • Presented design reviews on behalf of the Virginia Tech and Baylor University team• Gained soldering, wiring, and spacecraft hardware experience as well as leadership experience

• Wrote qualification testing procedures, analyzed test data, and composed final report for the Improved Malemute Rocket Motor Igniter Redesign which earned 100% (maximum) fee for Orbital Sciences Corporation.• Organized and oversaw functional testing and wrote final report for the Clemson Pyrotechnic Actuated Valve (pyrotechnic initiator activated TMA release valve) which saved Clemson University upwards of $15,000 per unit compared to the original design• Designed instrumentation cable to monitor Black Brant Mk.1 motor performance using thermistors along motor case and nozzle• Performed analysis of pressure transducer and thermistor data after flight• Utilized two phase flow capable CFD to model performance of a sustainer motor grain• Analyzed pressure, acceleration, and roll rate data and wrote post flight reports for four sounding rocket missions while developing MATLAB algorithms to calculate motor impulse and theoretical plume angle• Composed a presentation and final report for the Black Brant Mk.1 Return to Flight detailing the design changes and performance anomalies of the Black Brant Mk.1• Inspected X-ray exposures of Black Brant Mk.1 and Nihka motors for signs of delamination and air pockets