Published: May 28, 2024 • By Jeff Zehnder

Four Â鶹ÊÓƵ aerospace graduate students have been named

The Scholars program provides recipients with the opportunity to work at Draper’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducting research and contributing to programs in national security, space systems, biotechnology and strategic systems.

The four recipients from Smead Aerospace are Sarah Leary, Jiho Lee, Ryan Menges, and Madison Ritsch.

Scholars in the program are paired with a member of the Draper's technical staff and a university faculty advisor while they conduct research in fields of mutual interest.

Find out more about the Smead Aerospace winners below:

Sarah Leary

Advisor: Katya Arquilla

I'm originally from Plymouth, Massachusetts. My PhD research is focused on developing an anthropometrically-accommodating wearable sensor system for behavioral health monitoring in-the-wild. I got involved in research similar to this when I was a sophomore here at CU Boulder. I started doing research in Allie Anderson’s lab and my PhD advisor is now Katya Arquilla. One of my favorite things about this project is I truly believe it will benefit life on Earth - not just astronauts. That’s something that is extremely important to me. I’m also planning to perform a lot of field testing with this device, so it will be a great excuse for me to work outside and not be stuck at a desk my entire PhD!Ìý

Jiho Lee

Advisor: Nisar Ahmed

I was born in College Station, Texas and raised in Daejeon, South Korea. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Science and Mathematics (minor). My MS research focuses on advancing autonomous systems using machine learning techniques that enable them to operate efficiently in novel and uncertain situations. As a Draper Scholar, I will explore various machine learning methods for hybrid probabilistic tracking and forecasting. I am very excited about the opportunity to integrate the knowledge from my undergraduate studies and contribute to strengthening our nation's defense systems through this research.

Ryan Menges

Advisor: Daniel Scheeres

I am from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. My research lies at the intersection of dynamical systems theory and spacecraft navigation. In my current work, I am developing semi-analytical methods for spacecraft state propagation and navigation in cislunar space utilizing high-fidelity dynamical models with applications to spacecraft-to-spacecraft tracking and relative navigation. I am particularly interested in enabling advanced spacecraft autonomy.

Madison Ritsch

Advisor: Eric Frew

I was born in Vail, CO and grew up in the valley. I completed my BS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences and minor in Computer Science from CU Boulder in May 2023. My PhD research is focused on distributed autonomous robotic information gathering where I will be developing quality of information service metrics and local decision-making communication algorithms for teams of uncrewed aerial vehicles. I have been interestedÌýin UAS research since joining the IRISS lab as sophomore. However, one of the biggest challenges involved in in-situ sensing is team collaboration in GPS and communication-denied environments. I am so honored and excitedÌýto be contributing to such novel and life-saving research!

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