ANNOUNCING THE ASPIRING SPACE INDUSTRY LEADERS SELECTED FOR THE 2022 CLASS OF THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Thirty Undergraduate and Graduate Students Chosen for Highly Selective Fellowship Program that Connects Exceptional Individuals with Internships, Mentors, and an Incredible Network in the Commercial Spaceflight Sector
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program—a summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders—announced today the 30 individuals selected for its 2022 class. Now in its fifth year, the highly selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. Additionally, the program features a memorable summit during which the Fellows learn about space start-ups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For the 2022 class, the program received a tremendous response, with applications from more than 200 students from over 90 colleges. Applicants were rigorously screened for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space. The enthusiasm about the Fellowship comes at an especially exciting time in commercial space, as an unprecedented number of new companies are transforming the space program. This past year saw new rockets achieving orbit, astronauts being flown in new private vehicles, small spacecrafts launched in record numbers, and major increases in private investments. This has created a large increase in students inspired by these new opportunities to demonstrate novel technologies, protect the environment, connect the world, and explore the planets.
See below for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s Class of 2022, including each Fellow’s current school and Summer 2022 host company. (Schools where they previously earned degrees are indicated in parentheses). A full bio for each Fellow and more information is available online.
Maximilian Adang, Caltech — Redwire
Adithya Arun, University of Maryland, College Park — SpaceX
Loubensky Baine, University of Central Florida — Astra
Randa Bassou, Mississippi State University (Université Internationale de Rabat) — Redwire
Carson Coursey, Georgia Institute of Technology — Aerospace Corporation
Shane Cullen, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — SpaceX
Flynn Dreilinger, Stanford University — SpaceX
Allegra Farrar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (George Washington University) — Aerospace Corporation
Michael Ganotaki, Virginia Tech (Western University) — Virgin Galactic
Grace Genszler, Cornell University (Dartmouth College; Wheaton College) — Virgin Orbit
Kyle Hampton, University of Kentucky — Rocket Lab
Maya Harris, Stanford University —Virgin Galactic
Shaan Jagani, University of California, Berkeley —Blue Origin
Emma Johnson, Georgia Institute of Technology — Planet
Logan Kluis, Texas A&M University (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Aerospace Corporation
Olivia Langenderfer, The Ohio State University — RocketLab
Maggie Lea, Utah State University — Axiom
Erin Levesque, University of Michigan —ABL Space Systems
Stephanie Manasterski, University of Pittsburgh —Virgin Orbit
Daniel Nwachukwu, Georgia Institute of Technology (University of South Carolina Aiken) — Nanoracks
Wilbert Ruperto-Hernández, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez — Millennium Space Systems
Shan Selvamurugan, Georgia Institute of Technology — Blue Origin
Ariel Shaver, University of Arizona — Hedron
Blake Shepherd, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Millennium Space Systems
Theo St. Francis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Relativity Space
Fernando Tabares, Purdue University (University of Pittsburgh) — Relativity Space
Kevin Tong, Princeton University — Lynk
Alessandro Verniani, University of Colorado Boulder (University of California, Irvine) — Virgin Galactic
Rebecca Wang, Stanford University (University of Texas at Austin) — Astranis
Liam Ward, Boston University — Hedron
At the end of the summer, the Fellows will remain among a group of alumni who can continue to network with this program, their mentors, and past and future Fellows, on the path to becoming future space industry icons. The previous four classes of Matthew Isakowitz Fellows are continuing to excel in their academic and professional careers, with many taking on volunteer roles to contribute to the continued success of the Fellowship program. The list of Alumni Fellows is available online.
The program has also added a number of new participants to its lists of host companies and executive mentors for Summer 2022. The new host companies include Astra, Lynk, and Redwire. The new executive mentors include X-Prize Foundation CEO and Private Astronaut, Anousheh Ansari; former NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman; Astranis Co-founder and CEO, John Gedmark; MIT Professor and Head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Dan Hastings; former NASA astronaut and NOAA Administrator, Kathy Sullivan; Impulse Space CEO and former VP Propulsion at SpaceX, Tom Mueller; and Principal Mars Development Engineer at SpaceX, Paul Wooster. The full lists of companies and mentors are available online.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its alumni Fellows, donors, host companies, mentors, volunteers, and partners, including the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and Future Space Leaders.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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