Project-Wide Leadership

Nolan Pickett

Program Manager
nrpicket@mtu.edu
Nolan Pickett is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student with minors in Aerospace Engineering and Business. He worked on the Thermals team for over a year before becoming the Program Manager. He has previously interned for Plexus Corp. as an Automation Engineer and LaFarge Holcim as a Maintenance Engineer. Nolan hopes to complete a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering and pursue a position in the aerospace industry.

Kyle Bruursema

Chief Engineer
kjbruurs@mtu.edu
Kyle Bruursema is a 3rd-year Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Major. Kyle joined the enterprise in the Fall of 2020. In the spring of 2021, he was briefly the Systems Engineer of the ADC subteam before accepting the role of Chief Engineer. Kyle enjoys exercise and gaming as his primary forms of destressing and relaxation. After graduation he seeks to find a position in the Aerospace Industry and to preferably reach space himself.

Matthew Carey

Lead Systems Engineer
mjcarey@mtu.edu
Matthew is a 4th year undergraduate pursuing a degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He joined the enterprise during his sophomore year and later transitioned to the role of lead systems engineer. He loves hiking, snowboarding, climbing, and exploring the Keweenaw. After graduation, Matthew plans to find a full-time position within the aerospace and defense industry.

Ethan Smythe

Administrative and Financial Officer
emsmythe@mtu.edu
Ethan is a 3rd Year Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in aerospace engineering. He has interned at MacDermid Enthone over the summer. He enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and videogames.  He plans to graduate in Spring 2023 and will be pursuing a career in the aerospace industry .

Subteam Leadership

Attitude Determination & Control

Madison Turner

Team Leader
mpturner@mtu.edu
Madison is a 5th year Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. She began working as a member of the ADC subteam in the spring of 2019 and have spent her summers interning with Stellantis, previously known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Upon her graduation in the fall of 2021, she will be pursuing a career in the automotive or aerospace industries and has plans to earn an MBA and MSME.

Kjia Moore

Systems Engineer
kjiam@mtu.edu
Kjia is a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student with a double minor in Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering. She joined the ADC subteam Fall 2021, and over the summer she spent her time camping in various National Parks. After graduation in Spring 2022, she plans to pursue a career in the aerospace industry.

Auris Payload

Collin Uchida

Team Leader
cmuchida@mtu.edu
Collin is a 3rd year Electrical Engineering student. He transferred from the Metro-Detroit area. His interest in the aerospace began when he was young, and he has wanted to work in the field ever since. In his free time, he enjoys running and playing guitar. Collin hopes to work in the aerospace industry after graduation.

Shelby Wills

Systems Engineer
sewills@mtu.edu
Shelby is a 3rd Year Mechanical and Electrical Engineering student. She is an avid swimmer and enjoy being active. She has interned with the Department of Defense in their Ground Vehicle Systems Center as a test engineer for 2 years. She hopes to continue working with the DoD when she graduates somewhere in the test community.  

Electrical Power System

Sarah Foyer

Team Leader
sefoyer@mtu.edu
Sarah is a 5th year Chemical Engineering major with a minor in Nanoscale Science and Engineering. She has completed internships with Encapsys, NASA Ames Research Center, and NASA Langley Research Center. After graduation, she plans to return full-time to her position as a Contamination Control Engineer at NASA Langley and start working towards a Masters in Materials Science and Engineering. 

Thomas Olsen

Systems Engineer
thomaso@mtu.edu
Thomas is a 4th-year Electrical Engineering major that is expecting to graduate in the spring of 2022. He has worked as an intern on HVAC systems in the Littoral Combat Ships at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. After graduation, he hopes to get a job in the aerospace industry.

Ground Support Equipment

Casper Padilla

Team Leader
cdpadill@mtu.edu
Casper is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering Student with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. He has been on the team for two years and has interned for a summer at Ford Motor Company. He enjoy playing bass guitar, board games, tabletop games, video games, and camping or hiking with friends.

Patrick Kaiser

Systems Engineer
pkaiser@mtu.edu
Patrick is a 3rd Year Electrical Engineering student. He graduates in the spring of 2022. 

Mission Development and Simulation

William Jenness V

Team Leader
wdjennes@mtu.edu
William is a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering Student with a minor in Electrical Engineering. He hopes to lead mission development with a space exploration company someday.

Matthew Carey

Systems Engineer
mjcarey@mtu.edu
Matthew is a 4th year undergraduate pursuing a degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He joined the enterprise during his sophomore year and later transitioned to the role of lead systems engineer. He loves hiking, snowboarding, climbing, and exploring the Keweenaw. After graduation, Matthew plans to find a full-time position within the aerospace and defense industry.

Software

Zoe Knoper

Team Leader
zrknoper@mtu.edu
Zoe is a 3rd year undergraduate student working towards a bachelors in Cyber Security and an associates in Humanities. She is currently employed as a Software Developer at Superior Research Technologies, and looks forward to her summer 2022 at Fiat Chrysler. She hopes to find a job in defense contracting or the aerospace industry after graduating. In her free time she enjoys watercolor painting, playing guitar, and spending time with her dog.

Joey Arner

Systems Engineer
jdarner@mtu.edu
Joey Arner is a 3rd year Computer Science student with a Cybersecurity minor. He has been actively involved in the development of the Stratus Safe mode and system integration. For the past two summers he has interned at the small company CRI that works on airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Spring 2022, Joey plans to find a job in Computer Science, possibly in the Aerospace industry.

Structures

William Galvin

Team Leader
wtgalvin@mtu.edu
William is a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. He plans on graduating in Fall 2022.

Samantha Zerbel

Systems Engineer
smzerbel@mtu.edu
Samantha is a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. Last summer she interned at Marinette Marine and enjoys swimming in her free time. She sees herself having a career in the aerospace industry after she graduates in spring of 2022.

Thermal

Madison Rosiek

Team Leader
mlrosiek@mtu.edu
Madison Rosiek is a 4th-year undergraduate pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. She is able to pursue her passions in skiing and helping other communities by working as a ski instructor and being a member of Engineers Without Borders. Madison plans to obtain a full-time position in the Aerospace Industry after graduation.

Emi Colman

Systems Engineer
ejcolman@mtu.edu
3rd year undergraduate Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. She has had a summer internship with SRS Pharmacy Systems Inc. Emi plans to work in the Aerospace Industry after graduating in Spring of 2022.

Telemetry, Tracking & Control

Evan Melucci

Team Leader
elmelucc@mtu.edu
Evan is a 3rd year Electrical Engineering student. In his free time, he enjoys ice hockey, photography, and videogames. He has previously interned at TE Connectivity, and, after graduation, he plans to work in the aerospace or consumer electronics industry.

Rachel Mellin

Systems Engineer
remellin@mtu.edu
Rachel Mellin is a 4th-year undergraduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering, and she is expecting to graduate in the fall of 2022. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a full-time career in aerospace or robotics.

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