Shannen Prindle is a junior at Princeton University majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a certificate in Astrobiology. Her love for science and engineering blossomed from being taught by supportive STEM educators and watching a lot of MythBusters as a kid. She is passionate about working on engineering projects within the aerospace industry which facilitate science and/or advance human space exploration.

The summer after her freshman year, Shannen was an Engineering Intern at Princeton Satellite Systems, involved with CAD modeling and machine learning projects. During her recent gap year, she worked for 9 months as an Engineering Intern at Venturi Astrolab, Inc., helping to develop mechanisms for a commercial planetary rover for the Moon & Mars. During summer 2021, she was a Production Intern at SpaceX, working alongside manufacturing engineers on multiple mechanisms across the Dragon capsule. In summer 2022 she will be returning to SpaceX as a Starship Engineering Intern.

In school so far, Shannen has been involved with the design and fabrication of Princeton's first ThinSat nanosatellite payload. In the Princeton Rocketry Club, she serves as President, has led the High-Power Rocketry (HPR) and Spaceport America Cup project teams, and obtained her level 1 HPR certification from the National Association of Rocketry. She also founded and leads a Droid Team as part of the Robotics Club, which is working to build a life-sized BB-8 from Star Wars.

Shannen is also extremely avid about STEM outreach. She enjoys filming and editing video projects for educational/outreach purposes, served as an officer for Princeton's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, and worked as an Explainer at the Smithsonian Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for multiple years.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Shannen conducted research at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS). She served as a co-author on a paper investigating the geology and astrobiological potential of Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.