9/9/2026 Debra Levey Larson
Written by Debra Levey Larson
This summer, aerospace engineering graduate student Allison Timm chose to give back in a unique way. She shared her knowledge and expertise with two high school students, giving them a glimpse into what life as a researcher is like through The Young Scholars Science, Technology, Engineering Math and Medicine Research Program in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Timm is nearing the completion of her Ph.D. program with her adviser, Joshua Rovey. So, why take on this added responsibility for six weeks this summer? For Timm, it was about visibility and representation.
“Engineering outreach is very important to me,” Timm said. “As an undergrad, there were not very many women in the aerospace department that I could look up to. By participating in this program, I was able to connect with two students that might find themselves in a similar boat.”
The students, Ziya Lu and Mohamed Omar, are high school seniors this fall. Lu attends Potsdam High School in New York and Omar attends the Chicago Math and Science Academy.
Timm’s research is highly technical, so Lu and Omar were challenged intellectually. They worked with Timm on her hollow cathode experiments, reviewed the relevant literature and developed MATLAB scripts to analyze Langmuir probe and retarding potential analyzer data. At the end of their program, Lu and Omar presented their work at a poster session in the Illini Union.
Lu said she applied for the Young Scholars Research Program to gain hands-on research experience. She said she learned how to collaborate with research partners, data analysis and visualization, and a lot about the field of electric propulsion.
“I was surprised by the complexity of the vacuum chamber/stand-alone cathode set up,” Lu said. “I was also surprised by the variety of MATLAB functions but also the feeling of accomplishment when you've found the one that is the best fit for your mission.”
Omar said he wanted to participate in the young scholars research program to be exposed to a specialized area of the aerospace field.
“It was fascinating to learn what electric propulsion is through the literature review,” Omar said. “Learning how the hardware works was both interesting and mind boggling.
He added “In the process of working with Allison, I came to realize how important propulsion is in the astronautical branch of aerospace, because it’s what allows science to be conducted outside of earth's atmospheres. I was surprised to learn how efficient electric propulsion is compared to a combustion engine, while still having such a low thrust.”
The Young Scholars Science, Technology, Engineering Math and Medicine Research Program is a regionally focused program for rising 10th through 12th graders who live in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, or Wisconsin.