Alana Falter is from New York City and in her third year at Illinois. She is majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in horticulture. We asked her about this unusual combination of disciplines.
Written by Debra Levey Larson
Alana Falter
Alana Falter is from New York City and in her third year at Illinois. She is majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in horticulture. We asked her about this unusual combination of disciplines.
How did you decide to do a minor in horticulture?
"I had the opportunity to do some extraterrestrial horticulture research in high school so I felt that doing a minor would allow me to continue to learn more about horticulture while still majoring in aerospace."
How do you manage the extra course workload in doing a minor?
"Sometimes it can be a lot juggling a horticulture minor with my major especially when there are not a lot of cross-listed classes or requirements. However, I often feel that the classes for my minor are a welcome change of pace and they allow me to build different skills than my major classes."
Aero and hort seems like an unusual combination. How do you hope to use both AE and horticulture in the future—career or other?
"Ultimately, I am looking to work on areas related to human space flight. Long-term human space travel and habitation will eventually require a way to produce food in space and on other celestial bodies. I hope that getting a major in aerospace and a minor in horticulture will give me the skill set to work on technologies and innovations that are on the intersection of the two fields."