GEORGIA TECH
Three Daniel Guggenheim Aerospace Engineering Students Receive the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship
Taylor Hampson, Grace Krahn, and José Morel will embark on summer internship at innovative aerospace companies
Three Georgia Tech Aerospace Engineering (AE) students have been named to the Class of 2023 Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program. As Fellows, Taylor Hampson, Grace Krahn, and José Morel will launch their careers this summer with internships, executive mentors, and an incredible network in the commercial spaceflight sector.
Now in its sixth 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 space community members, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others.
Additionally, the program features a special summit during which the Fellows learn about space start-ups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
AE third-year Taylor Hampson will intern with Stoke Space, an American space launch company based in Seattle, Washington. The Jacksonville, Florida native grew up watching Shuttle launches and was fascinated with space. “It was only after my first semester at Georgia Tech that I realized I wanted to pursue aerospace engineering. I realized that space is humanity's final frontier, and its exploration could bring untold benefits and answer fundamental questions about our universe,” said Hampson. “The concept of contributing to the next generation of human technology was inherently thrilling! Because of this realization, I switched my major from mechanical engineering to aerospace engineering, so I could focus my study on the space industry.”
Through the Fellowship, he will be mentored by Tom Mueller, CEO of Impulse and founding employee of SpaceX. “I am most looking forward to meeting the other Fellows and industry leaders! I am excited to hear their visions of what the future of space will look like for humanity,” said Hampson.
Hampson is passionate about mentorship; he provides it and actively seeks it out. He serves as a mentor at the Yang Aero Maker Space and is an undergraduate research ambassador, where he helps students discern their research interests. “I really enjoy mentorship. I have learned a ton from mentors I have met through Georgia Tech’s Student Alumni Association (SAA), my previous internships, and especially the AE School’s Mentor in Residence program.”
Grace Krahn is a first-year AE master’s student who will spend this summer working in Colorado as a conceptual design and integration of re-entry vehicles intern with Sierra Space, a commercial space company building the technology and business platform that will power the new space economy. Through the Fellowship, she was paired with Suzi McBride, chief operating officer at Iridium, to serve as her mentor.
Krahn is a graduate research assistant in the Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) at Georgia Tech. Her work focuses on developing CubeSats to integrate, test, and demonstrate cutting-edge formation flying technologies. The Wisconsin native graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech in 2022, where she was heavily involved in Georgia Tech Experimental Rocketry (GTXR) as the parachute deployment project head and later avionics integration lead for the team’s 200-pound solid propellant rocket. She was also a mechanical designer, CAD instructor, and manufacturer on the BattleBots team.
“I’m extremely grateful to have received this wonderful opportunity. I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Glenn Lightsey, and the VISORS CubeSat team at the Space Systems Design Lab for their continued support throughout the application process and beyond,” said Krahn.
José Morel is a graduate student currently finishing up the requirements for the graduate certificate in Astrobiology at Georgia Tech. During his time as a Graduate Research Associate at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, Morel worked on various aerospace vehicle design and systems engineering projects. Prior to his studies at Georgia Tech, he completed a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton University.
“I'm honored to be able to join the MIFP and contribute to Matthew's legacy, and I look forward to seeing how MIFP fellows continue to impact the industry,” said Morel.
He’ll soon be interning in Colorado at Redwire Space, an aerospace manufacturer and space infrastructure technology company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
The New York native knew he wanted to study aerospace engineering because he has always been passionate about space and all things that fly. “When I was younger, I watched a lot of sci-fi cartoons and other media that introduced me to the concept of things like Moon bases and rocket ships and I was always drawn to the idea of human spaceflight,” he explained.
He is paired with Pete Worden, current chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center.