Katie Carroll named one of AIAA’s "20 Twenties”

1/21/2020 Debra Levey Larson

Written by Debra Levey Larson

Katherine "Katie" Carroll
Katherine "Katie" Carroll

Katherine “Katie” Carroll’s professional resume reads like someone who has been in the space business much longer, and now it has yet another accomplishment. Carroll, who received her B.S. in aerospace engineering in May 2019, was just announced to be a winner in AIAA’s “Tomorrow’s Technology Leaders: The 20 Twenties.”

The awards recognize students earning STEM degrees who are nominated by their universities on the basis of their academic performance, civic contribution, and research or design project.

Carroll graduated in May 2019 and began graduate school in the Aeronautical and Astronautical Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Engineering System Lab.

“In addition to taking classes in the Space Systems track over the last semester, I am also working on a socio-technical engineering project with Japan Rail East,” Carroll said. “For this project, we are looking at JR East’s public transportation system from an engineering systems perspective. I’ve also gotten involved in some student groups and am the current co-president of the Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering group at MIT.”

While an undergraduate student at Illinois, Carroll was president of Women in Aerospace, technical project manager for an Illinois Space Society prototype project for NASA, received a Knights of St. Patrick Award, and many more honors.

Since graduating, Carroll began graduate school in the Aeronautical and Astronautical Department

Carroll at MIT
Carroll at MIT

at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Engineering System Lab. “In addition to taking classes in the Space Systems track over the last semester, I am also working on a socio-technical engineering project with Japan Rail East,” Carroll said. “For this project, we are looking at JR East’s public

Carroll, second from right, with MIT intramural tennis team after winning the championship match.
Carroll, second from right, with MIT intramural tennis team after winning the championship match.

transportation system from an engineering systems perspective. I’ve also gotten involved in some student groups and am the current co-president of the Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering group at MIT.”

While an undergraduate student at Illinois, Carroll was president of Women in Aerospace, technical project manager for an Illinois Space Society prototype project for NASA, received a Knights of St. Patrick Award, and many more honors.

Read more about AIAA’s 20 Twenties winners for 2020.


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This story was published January 21, 2020.