Is the sky really the limit?
Is the sky really the limit?
As told by Adam Knisley, Ohio State Senior Engagement Specialist
Twenty-five astronauts over the years have called the Buckeye State home, and throughout our history, The Ohio State University has reached new frontiers in aviation and space-related research and education. Now, even more Buckeyes are contributing to what NASA will make possible in the future. Among them are Zach Hanson and Courtney Staniak, both alumni of The Ohio State University College of Engineering, class of 2022.
When we first talked to Zach on a call at the Engagement Center, we discovered he was part of a group of recent Ohio State graduates who work together in Houston at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Here, they’re learning how to support the Mission Operations Integration and Planning Division as flight controllers. Zach connected us to his colleague and fellow Buckeye, Courtney, and we heard about their journey from Ohio State to Houston, and how they became interested in aerospace engineering.
Zach chose Ohio State as part of a Buckeye family, through and through — all three of his older siblings attended, but Zach was the only member of his family who went into engineering. It was his high school calculus teacher who encouraged him to explore aerospace engineering, and once he got started in the field, he knew he was in the right place.
Courtney grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and initially started school at a community college there. Once she visited Ohio State and experienced a football game at The ’Shoe, she was sold!
“Donating to the College of Engineering allows students to do even more with their capstone projects. For my class, each group was given $600 that funded materials and tools for research, testing and building, but we were also encouraged to find outside funding. Although we were definitely able to accomplish our goals, I can't imagine what we would have achieved with more support.”
Even though it took her some time to land at Ohio State, her dad was also an aerospace engineer, and she always dreamt of following in his footsteps as a child.
Courtney told us how, in her hometown, attending community college was not the first choice among peers. Courtney knew how to thrive at community college, though, and went on to help start her school’s first team to compete at NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge, which tasks students with designing, developing, building and testing human-powered rovers capable of traversing difficult terrains. Through this experience, Courtney gained the knowledge and tools she needed to not only be successful in the aerospace engineering program at Ohio State, but also at NASA.
When we asked what Zach’s favorite part of the aerospace engineering program was, he talked about how he specifically benefitted from the work in his capstone classes. These classes have a more hands-on format, allowing students to design, build and fly aircraft of their own. He also mentioned that more funding for the capstone classes would allow students to think bigger and be more creative.
If you’d like to support current engineering students as they become the innovators of tomorrow, visit this page.
Even though we’re not all aerospace engineers, every Buckeye should shoot for the stars.
Story collected by Adam Knisley, written and edited by Will Hejduk
If you or any fellow alumni are seeking resources to advance your career, explore The Bill and Susan Lhota Office of Alumni Career Management, or reach out to the Engagement Center at 614-696-6288 or through email at osuaa@osu.edu.