2009 David Mann Scholarship Recipient
(for study of aeronautical engineering or an aerospace field)
Alexis Avram
Engineering is often defined as "the art or science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences, such as physics or chemistry." In addition, the term itself is seemingly always paired with shudders and cringes about the meticulous, arduous workload it entails. Ironically, it is these two things that drew me so into the profession that it became my declaration to make engineering my forever-growing academic passion. The fact that textbook knowledge and imagination can combine to create the most mystical and powerful machine to this day always shoots a rush of adrenaline through my veins. My most day-dreamed about object is the rocket and my fascination with Aerospace Engineering guides the many pathways I have set for myself in the future.
It all started with one little model rocket. This simple machine was the foundation of many projects to come. My first experience of watching this small, hardly what anyone could call aerodynamic tube shoot up in the sky and explode was not particularly pleasant, but the follow up work of fixing the problems and reanalyzing the rocket opened my mind to dual paths of creativity and pure science, an invigorating combination. From there I continued my newly discovered aerospace passion with Sci-Tech, a class with roughly 5% girls: me. After initially being discouraged by classmates, I rose to the challenge and excelled in more massive rockets and space related projects. Senior year of high school, I emailed a prestigious professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who had received his doctorate in Orbital Mechanics, asking him to be an academic mentor for a research paper I had to write. This paper had minimal requirements; however, I enjoyed driving to the Engineering Library every Saturday and being buried way over my head in books form NASA, private companies, and professors so much that it turned into a six month endeavor and a 65 page research paper titled, "How is physics applied in orbital maneuvering through static and electrodynamic tethers?" This research paper led me to currently be an undergraduate at UT Aerospace.
My goal for the future is to be an aerospace engineer, or better yet, a rocket scientist. I hope to be an active asset to a space agency where I can live my dream of working with rocket engines and propulsion. The grinding of parts, creation of data storage systems, and the transformation of physics and chemistry into a massive, powerful space rocket would be part of my daily checklist. I hope to continue my work with electrodynamic tethers and expand the research of exotic propulsion through a doctorate work. Lastly, I can only hope to do one more thing and that is to give back through teaching. After I have had my playtime in the aerospace sandbox, I hope to become the teacher that motivated me to pursue my goals and careers so fervently.
I have taken on many responsibilities to further enhance the probability of working in my dream profession. I am currently employed under Professor Pablo Cortez in the Aerospace Electronics Shop. As part of a team, we essentially set up all electrical components for professor's own research projects, graduate research, and the various aerospace clubs around campus. The team has built flight simulators, wind tunnels, and circuit boards for satellites. He is my personal teacher in that he specifically guides me through each step of creating these components and introducing me to highly technical software required for data storage. In addition, my high performance in the first Aerospace Course at UT, taught by former Secretary of Defense Hans Mark, ended with an offer to work at NASA Ames Research Center. At just 18, I have actively taken on the role of expanding any opportunity to work with someone well emerged in the field of rocket science. I am willing to put as much effort as it takes to become who I want to be and to surround myself in my dreams, to the point where dreams become reality.