The live feed of Brookie news! Read articles written by our Fellows and follow the achievements of the Fellows and the program in the news or in publications. This blog is written and maintained by alumnae of the Brooke Owens Fellowship.
By Sue Kaur, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
It wasn’t until 7 days before the application deadline that I decided to take the leap of faith. I committed to showing the founders and assessors the true me, not the neatly packaged version of Sue Kaur reflected on a CV and social media. If we were going to become a family, I needed them to see me, flaws and all.
Read MoreBy A. O. Warren (2017 Brooke Owens Fellow), E. S. Kite, J.-P. Williams, and B. Horgan
Read MoreBy Sue Kaur, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
In the last 5 years, I’ve been fortunate to meet confident and powerful women in leadership roles within their organizations. These women, who are articulate and graceful in the face of adversity, have shown me how to not only exist, but thrive upon my own terms. They showed me the value of STEM sisterhood and diplomacy when responding to “delicate situations.” These are the lessons I learned in my journey, and the wisdom imparted onto me by the phenomenal women who have taken me under their wing.
Read MoreAre you an undergraduate woman or gender minority student thinking of applying to the Brooke Owens Fellowship? (Answer: You should!). Or are you currently in the middle of writing your application? Will, the Co-Founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, shared a series of tips weekly on Twitter to help 2018 applicants through the process. These tips have been copied from his posts.
Read MoreBy Carla Bleiker, featuring Caroline Juang, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow
From reporting landslides to photographing glaciers, citizen scientists play a crucial part in many Earth observation projects. DW went to the International Astronautical Congress to bring you some examples.
By Michelle Lin, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
SWE member and pageant contestant Michelle Lin urges all engineers and future engineers to remember: "You are not just your major, and you deserve to pursue all your passions in equal capacity.”
Read MoreBy Manny Shar, Jamil Castillo, Gwen Mazzota, Luc Riesbeck (2018 Brooke Owens Fellow), Anna Wieger, and Carissa Christensen
Read MoreBy Kristen O. Bobst, Featuring Makiah Eustice, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow
We were thrilled to ask Makiah all about her journey to space including where she wants to travel in the solar system, what it was like being a member of analog Mars missions, who inspires her, and even what super cool instrument she plays in her free time! Meet Makiah Eustice, member of the U.S. Air Force, astronomically awesome woman in STEM, and fierce future explorer of other worlds!
Read MoreBy Anika Hidayat, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
2019 Brookie Anika walks us through the Brooke Owens Fellowship, why it was founded, and what our Brookies get out of the fellowship. “There are plenty of blank pages waiting for your story of aerospace success. We'll be your biggest supporters.”
Read MoreBy Chelsea Gohd, featuring Shannon Gatta, 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow
Space.com spoke with Tam O'Shaughnessy, who co-founded the science education company Sally Ride Science with her life partner, NASA astronaut Sally Ride, about McClain and the difficulties that may face astronauts who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Read MoreBy Matt Jensen, featuring Grace Graham, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
Early in her academic experience, Grace Graham learned the secret to success. The young aerospace engineering and economics double major from St. George, Utah, jumped into university life eager to get involved and meet new people. Her optimistic attitude and warm personality are a recipe for achievement that’s already yielding positive results.
Read MoreBy Cynthia Medina, featuring Marissa Navarro, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
Becoming an astronaut is challenging for anyone, but Marissa Navarro’s dream was complicated by an eight-year fight to stay in the United States. Today, however, the Mexican immigrant is one step closer to her goal of reaching outer space.
Read MoreBy Daniel Han, featuring Marissa Navarro, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
A Rutgers University student is one step closer to reaching outer space, a journey which has been marred with setbacks and challenges with immigration, according to an article on Rutgers Today.
Read MoreBy Rebeka Morales, featuring Kaley Hassell, 2019 Fellow
This summer, aerospace engineering student Kaley Hassell participated in the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program. Now, she is encouraging other students to apply.
Read MoreBy Jason Reimuller, featuring Shannon Gatta, 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow
Shannon Gatta, a student from the University of Washington, was selected today as the winner of the first Out Astronaut Contest, a competition hosted by the Out Astronaut Project to increase the visible representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) identified persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Innes, featuring Katie Carroll, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow
When someone graduates, it’s usually a poignant mix of nostalgic reflection on the past and a hopeful gaze into the future. In May 2019, Katie Carroll graduated from Aerospace Engineering. And just as this writer couldn’t help but do an article about Carroll’s voyage down the STEM pipeline when she was a freshman, I felt it was only fitting that I close the chapter on her time at Illinois with a walk down memory lane, looking at the things she considered most significant in her past, and a bit of a look into what’s in her future.
Read MoreBy Laura Seward Forczyk, Brooke Owens Fellowship Mentor
Despite earning and pushing my way through many doors, I too frequently feel as an outside looking in, striving for more acceptance and more opportunity to prove I can do this.
Read MoreBy Michelle Lin, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
There are some people that come into your lives, and in that instant, you know you are changed forever. Now imagine 38.
Read MoreBy TMRO, featuring Will Pomerantz, Brooke Owens Fellowship Co-Founder
Will Pomerantz speaks with TMRO in an interview about the small satellite market and Virgin Orbit’s place in it, rocket reusability and the Brooke Owens Fellowship.
Read MoreBy Andrew Martin, featuring Khristian Jones, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow
Since the 1930s, the high desert of California has been a haven for aviation pioneers. The wide expanse of arid desert makes for clear airspace and good weather for flying. Aerospace engineering senior Khristian Jones joined their ranks this summer at the controls of a glider – a light, thin and unpowered aircraft towed into the sky by a regular airplane.
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