NASA Glenn Academy 2006

NASA Academy 2006
Glenn Research Center
2006 GRC Academy Home

Kathleen M. Coderre

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY

Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering Dual
Bachelor of Science, December 2006

NASA Academy Research Project

Advanced Docking/Berthing System Seal Development NASA Principal Investigator: Pat Dunlap

Education

Since I was young, I have always had an interest in space and aviation. My seventh grade teacher saw this and encouraged me to attend Space Camp. After attending, I realized that Aerospace Engineering seemed to be the right choice for me. It has been tough, but the field is always growing and changing; it is filled with exciting opportunities! I am currently completing my dual degree at Rensselaer and I am excited to be graduating in December.

Experience

During the spring of 2005, I was privileged enough to work as a co-op for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. While working in Quality Engineering, I had many responsibilities, such as reviewing design packages, processing design changes, and ensuring a quality product was delivered. In addition, I worked in the final finishes area, where I learned about the various seals on aircraft and helped develop processes to measure coating thicknesses, gaps and mismatch using laser gap guns.

Prior to my co-op, I had the amazing opportunity of being a counselor at Aviation Challenge Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. My summer was spent at the US Space and Rocket Center where I instilled my knowledge and passion of aviation on children aged 8-18 years. It was definitely a summer well spent.

This year at Rensselaer, I participated in research on using carbon nanotubes and nanofibers in resin and testing their properties for use in carbon composites. The objective for my senior project was to create a nano-air vehicle. My team designed both a rotor and flapping vehicle, and also built a flapping test bed to study the properties of small scale flapping flight. It was a great project since we first studied the flight of insects, and then determined the best way to build the flapping device.

Extra-Curricular Activities

My two passions in life are flying and fencing. I earned my private pilot’s license in December 2004 and I have been loving it ever since. I hope to continue with my training to receive my instrument, and possibly other ratings as well. At Rensselaer, I train with the fencing club and travel around the northeast to attend tournaments; I even made it to the Junior Olympics in 2004. Although I did not do as well as I hoped, it was a great experience and I was honored to be there. Many of my weekends are spent showing school spirit through RPI’s Pep Band, where I play the trumpet for both football and hockey games.