Meet Kristen
Name: Kristen John
Hometown: The Woodlands, TX
High School: Academy of Science and Technology, Oak Ridge High School
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Expected graduation: December 2008
Bigger is Better!
When I was a senior in high school looking at colleges, I came to visit my sister, a sophomore in the College of Communication at UT Austin. From her involvement with the Distinguished Speakers Committee, Texas Revue, and in her dorm, I knew that UT offered countless ways to get involved. Whether I wanted to do the same things I did in high school or try new things altogether, I would be able to find it at such a large university like UT Austin. From speakers like the Dalai Lama to events like 40 Acres Fest, Zilker Kite Festival, and Eeyore’s Birthday, I have come to a university and a city that offers exciting events literally every day.
From UT to NASA
The most amazing experience of my life was the chance to experience weightlessness by floating in microgravity aboard a NASA plane through the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program.
During my freshman year, I formed a team of other students who were interested in designing an experiment and sharing the flight of a lifetime. We wrote a 70-page proposal about flame suppressant performance in microgravity, and we were selected by NASA to perform the experiment aboard the C9 Weightless Wonder, aka the Vomit Comet. This was the same plane used in the filming of Apollo 13 to make the actors appear as if they were floating in space.
Obtaining Real World Experience as a Student
The Cockrell School of Engineering offers “co-ops”; programs that enable students to take a semester away from UT to work in the real-world in meaningful jobs and then return to the university at the conclusion of their term. Within United Space Alliance, a contractor company for NASA, I worked for seven months as a co-op. I was in the Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) department and everything we did was to support the Space Shuttle. This wonderful opportunity not only gave me real-world work experience, it also gave me the chance to work a Shuttle launch, drive the Mars Rover, and meet legends in the aerospace world. I was given true responsibilities, in charge of substantial projects, and was given more than just a glimpse of what it would be like to work as an aerospace engineer.
Fueling My Passion through Research and Aerospace Activities
I am also working as an undergraduate research assistant for aerospace professor, Dr. Hans Mark. I work in a lab with electromagnetic rail guns; new weapons that can launch projectiles at targets more than 200 miles away without using explosives. This has been an amazing hands-on experience that I am excited about every day. One advantage of attending UT Austin is that you are going to a large research university where professors are actively conducting research with undergraduates.
I participated in Design. Build. Fly. where we designed and constructed two unmanned, remote controlled aircrafts and traveled to competition in Maryland. One plane crashed after going into a spin, and our second plane suffered a crash landing. Crashes are very common in this competition. Each team member put in an all-night effort, and we worked tirelessly on the broken plane. Because of the dedication of each team member, we were able to crash our plane for a second time in that competition!
My extracurricular aerospace activities have fueled my passion for aerospace engineering. The practical knowledge I have gained outside of the classroom has been as much a learning experience as my classes.
FIG = Instant Support Network
Join a FIG (First-Year Interest Group)! You will instantly meet a group of 20 students who have similar interests as you. They will also help you transition from high school to college and give you helpful tips on all aspects of college life/education. Having been through FIG as a student and a mentor, I would highly encourage it for every incoming student. Also consider the Residential FIG program, where you share dorms with other students in FIGs. You will have an instant support network for study sessions, and it is another great way to meet friends – both in and outside of your major.
Get Involved
Since the day I came to UT, I have been very involved in my major. I have gotten to know other aerospace students through student organizations. As a FIG mentor, I worked with the aerospace academic advisor. But one of the best things a student can do is to get to know your professors. Sometimes it seems hard to do in such big classes, but if you go to office hours, ask questions, sit in the front, and even introduce yourself one day after class, the professor will get to know you and realize you are interested in their class. I do my best to get to know the aerospace professors and when a professor calls you by your name in a class of 100 students, you feel good. The interaction I have had with my aerospace peers, staff, and professors has led me to get involved in other activities, meet great people, get help with registration, and get recommendations. By getting to know one professor in particular, I was able to get my internship this summer at NASA. Only good things will come being interactive in your major.
More about Kristen
Scholarships
- 2007 Rockwell Collins Diversity Scholarship
- 2007 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Southwest Texas Scholarship
- 2007 Molly Ferguson Gottlieb Friends of Alec Memorial Scholarship for Co-op Students
Favorites
- Study Location: UGL (Flawn Academic Center), it’s quiet, but not so quiet that you get sleepy and close to the Texas Union (aka food)
- Place to eat near campus: Hyde Park Bar & Grill (best gourmet fries ever!)
- Class: Spacecraft Dynamics (ASE 366K) with Professor Sean Buckley
Scuba Diving (PED 102G) with Professor Peter Oliver - Movie: Parent Trap by Nancy Meyers
- Thing about Austin: Swimming in the spring time: Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool, Campbell’s Hole, and cliff diving
Kristen’s Advice
On living on or off campus
Live on campus for at least your first year. That’s where all the action is, a great place to meet friends, and easy access to class and professors. After your first or second year, I recommend Hyde Park-north campus. The houses are cute and spacious, its safe, and a short bus ride to campus.
On what to wear/not wear
Bring your swimsuit with you on sunny days. What better way to spend a 2 hour break than getting a tan at the Gregory Gym pools.
On how to be a successful student
Don’t skip class. You will feel guilty and behind. Start studying for tests as soon as you can. Go through all your class notes and write down the important things. Also, if a professor ever says anything like, “This will surely be on the test…”, make sure to write it down and put a star next to it to study later! Also, get into good study groups to work on homework, exchange notes, and study for tests. And lastly, try not to get too stressed out. You will enjoy school and life better if you are more relaxed.
Send Kristen an e-mail at kjohn@mail.utexas.edu