Faith Colon (Courtesy of Faith Colon)
Faith Colon, a junior majoring in astronautical engineering, recently won the prestigious American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, or AIAA, Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson Scholarship. The scholarship is only given to one undergraduate a year and is meant to encourage women to pursue aerospace engineering.
The accolade, named for the former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin, Marrilyn Hewson, comes with a $10,000 scholarship.
“I was initially shocked that I got it, but I feel proud,” said Colon, who has a longstanding interest in material science for space applications. She hopes to pursue a master’s in materials sciences at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering as part of the five-year progressive degree program.
The scholarship is awarded through AIAA, which is the world’s largest professional society for aerospace. The institute’s mission is to “help aerospace professionals and their organizations succeed.” But AIAA does far more than that. In addition to facilitating jobs and publications for professionals, the group offers generous scholarships to aerospace and astronautical engineering students around the United States.
Colon’s interest in materials stems from her experiences doing research at USC, and through an internship at the Aerospace Corporation.
Colon spent her first year at USC doing research on ceramic matrix composite at the M.C. Gill Composites Center Lab through CURVE, or the Center for Undergraduate Research in Viterbi Engineering. Ceramic matrix composites are a subgroup of composite materials in which fibers are embedded into a ceramic matrix.
Colon credits her research for her success in the field. “Viterbi provided research experience that made me excited to learn more about materials science, I really liked it,” she said. “I liked going to the lab, measuring samples and viewing their properties under a microscope.”
Despite a busy schedule, Colon pursues extracurricular activities in technical labs at USC. She is currently involved in the USC Liquid Propulsion Laboratory (LPL) a primarily graduate student organization that focuses on hands-on experience with bipropellant liquid rocket engines and feed systems. She has also contributed to the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory as a member of the composites sub team her freshman year, and later contributed to the propulsion team which makes solid propellant grains for their rocket.
“Working in design teams can be daunting, but I definitely recommend it,” she said. “Going to a build session is exciting and is always a great learning experience.”
Published on November 22nd, 2024
Last updated on November 22nd, 2024
