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MAESTRO student wins prestigious Sandia fellowship

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Darren J. Hartl

When Hannah Stroud worked at Sandia National Laboratories last summer, she realized the Jill Hruby Fellowship that they offer would give her the freedom and funds to manage exciting projects.

Stroud is an aerospace engineering doctoral candidate and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow. She received her bachelor’s (‘18) and master’s (‘20) degrees in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University. She won the Jill Hruby Fellowship on Feb. 2 for proposing methods of surrogate modeling for roughness on reentry vehicles. The fellowship’s mission is to contribute to national security.

Happy Valentines Day from the students of the MAESTRO lab

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Darren J. Hartl

In case you haven’t heard, being an engineering professor at an R1 university is the greatest job on earth.

Hartl interviewed for Daily Beast article on sonic booms

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Darren J. Hartl

MAESTRO director Darren Hartl was recently interviewed for an article in the Daily Beast addressing the upcoming flights of the NASA X-59 aircraft and the topic of sonic booms in general. The full article can be found here.

Allen Davis becomes the latest Ph.D. graduate

Posted on December 15, 2022 by jjz.1998

On October 14, 2022, Allen Davis concluded his Ph.D. journey by completing his doctoral degree in Aerospace Engineering under Dr. Darren Hartl. Allen joined the MAESTRO Laboratory after completing his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana State University, and first completed a Masters of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on damage-sensing particles for various structural systems. He has accepted a position as a Aerospace Engineer at NAVAIR (Patuxent River).

MAESTRO student Priscilla Nizio awarded the Stanger Endowed Graduate Fellowship

Posted on December 11, 2022 by jjz.1998

Dr. Ivett Leyva (left), Priscilla Nizio (center) and Dianna Stanger (right) at the 2022 Department of Aerospace Award Ceremony.

Patrick Walgren successfully completes doctoral studies

Posted on July 2, 2022 by jjz.1998

On June 15, 2022, Patrick Walgren became the latest student to successful complete his doctoral degree in Aerospace Engineering under Dr. Darren Hartl. Patrick joined the MAESTRO Laboratory after completing his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh University. He has taken a position at the Air Force Research Laboratory as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Researcher, a prestigious position sponsored by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Jacob L. Mingear completes his journey as a Ph.D. student

Posted on July 2, 2022 by jjz.1998

On June 13, 2022, Jacob L. Mingear became the first student within the MAESTRO Laboratory to complete all necessary requirements to earn his doctoral degree in Materials Science and Engineering, a department in which his Chair Dr. Hartl is an affiliated faculty member. Jacob joined the MAESTRO Laboratory after completing his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at University of Florida. He has taken a position at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

MAESTRO student Zamarripa awarded two prestigious fellowships for doctoral studies

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Darren J. Hartl

Jessica Zamarripa ‘20, a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University and member of the MAESTRO Laboratory, has received two prestigious awards, the 2022 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and the National GEM Consortium Ph.D. Engineering and Science Fellowship.

MAESTRO students help youth in Alaska learn about space

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Darren J. Hartl

Patrick Walgren and Hannah Stroud posed for a photo in front of a decor piece of a NASA space shuttle. — Patrick Walgren and Hannah Stroud became role models for young students in Alaska, teaching them what they can do and who they can be when they grow up. | Image: Courtesy of Patrick Walgren

Patrick Walgren and Hannah Stroud, doctoral students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, traveled to Alaska to spend a few days helping first- and second-graders learn about space.

Growing up there, Walgren had one of his first introductions to aerospace at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. Now that he’s preparing for a career as an aerospace engineer, on a whim, he reached out to the center about volunteering at the Space Academy, their aerospace-themed camp. He and Stroud were invited to join the staff as “flight directors” and help facilitate activities for the students.

MAESTRO student creates virtual outreach opportunity for fourth graders

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Darren J. Hartl

Doctoral student Collette Gillaspie smiling for a photo outside. — Collette Gillaspie organized a group of Texas A&M engineering students to reinvigorate science for a class of fourth graders. | Image: Texas A&M Engineering

When she was 10 years old, Collette Gillaspie caught her first glimpse of a future on Mars. While visiting a nature and science museum during a family road trip, Gillaspie was mesmerized by an exhibit about a Martian habitat, memorizing all the bite-sized facts the information display had to offer and letting her mind imagine what it would be like to visit the red planet. Today, she’s a doctoral student studying aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University and conducting research in the MAESTRO Lab related to habitats and getting humans to the moon and Mars sustainably.