Presenting at the AIAA Student Conference

Name: Mattie McLellan | Majors: Mechanical Engineering, Physics | Semester: Fall 2024

I am Mattie McLellan, a Mechanical Engineering student in the College of Engineering. My mentor is Dr. Adam Huang of the Mechanical Engineering department. I am currently in my fourth semester of research for this project. I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in the aerospace/planetary science field. I hope to work in space exploration at an agency such as NASA and eventually conduct research at the university level.

My research aims to develop a novel scientific instrument for atmospheric measurement using tunable lasers designed specifically for small satellites flying in formations, called TLSS (Tunable Laser for Small-satellite Systems). TLSS will measure the isotope ratio of key chemical elements and compounds on the planetary scale, providing insight to the evolution of atmospheres and the establishment of habitable zones in both our worlds and exoplanet ones.

I have developed many practical skills in engineering research that will transfer to future project: using a DAQ system, microcontrollers, spectroscopy, and coding in LabVIEW and MATLAB. I have learned to write about the engineering process and how to present my research. In addition to the hard skills, I have also learned many things about myself and working with a team of researchers. I personally felt that my initial progress moved slowly; the learning curve to research can be steep. However, I kept working on this project and slowly things came together to fill in the holes of my knowledge that had generated doubt. As I found results and presented, I realized I could teach others about my work. I felt much more confident in my project simply because I kept working even when I was unsure, and found I knew what I was doing. This is a common experience in research. A year into my project, a student started into the same research team, and he was in a very similar situation and feeling discouraged. I shared my experience with him, ensuring its normal and you must start somewhere. This type of encouragement speaks to the importance of a research team. There is never a need to hold back your questions. Everyone brings experience to a team and using others knowledge could save hours of time or hardship. Whether it be advice in technical work or something bigger, it’s important to rely on your team.

I found my mentor Dr. Adam Huang, in my freshman year, through my honors research first year engineering class. In this class, I worked on an aeronautics project with Dr. Huang for the semester. Realizing I wanted to work in aerospace, I shifted to Dr. Huang’s satellite project instead. Dr. Huang has been a wonderful mentor, helping through the technical work, brainstorming the best directions, and guiding me through writing papers and presentations for conferences. He is preparing me to be successful in my next step, graduate school.

I have travelled to Stillwater, OK, for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Region IV Conference. I presented an oral presentation of my work there, meeting people interested in my work, and other aerospace researchers. I gained a contact of someone who has guided me through the professional industry, setting me up for internships and my future career. It was a great experience giving me an introduction to the cultural of aerospace research conferences.

I will be attending another conference this spring, the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. This is a much larger conference in Woodstock, TX; Many different topics are discussed covering our whole solar system. I am excited to present a poster at this conference and here from planetary scientist conducting research all over the world.

This funding has enabled me to travel to share my work, grow as a researcher, and prepare for graduate school. I am very grateful for everything I have learned through this past year. I can honestly say I am receiving the training I will need for my future.