Where are they now? A young alumna profile

Where Are They Now?

Lauren M. Smith ’13, MS ’15

Program Manager – NG Next Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

What were your majors at Case?

I received a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering and Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering, with a minor in political science. People often ask about the political science minor – “What does that have to do with engineering?” I always knew I wanted to be in aerospace and defense and saw value in having a foundational understanding of the U.S. government.

Where else did you work prior to you current position?

I recently relocated to Redondo Beach, California, with Northrop Grumman, but I began with the company in San Diego. Most recently, I was the program manager of Quad Cup – the company’s 2016 Innovation Challenge. Quad Cup united employees from across the country to compete in a first-of-its-kind quadcopter sporting event. Teams took risks, had fun, and demonstrated critical new technologies. You can find more information about the final event online! Before Quad Cup, I was a concept development engineer inventing disruptive autonomous systems.

Prior to Northrop, I worked at NASA Glenn Research Center in the Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Lab. I also conducted my thesis work at Glenn and developed a novel locomotion mechanism called the Tri-Wheel that increases robot mobility on search and rescue vehicles.

Describe your current position:

I am a program manager within NG Next, an organization within Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems tasked with solving the customer’s hardest problems and pursuing technologies that are often riskier, less well defined or nonexistent. I love being in the front end of the business – meaning that I get to think about the future of the company and the industry many years out. Program management stretches all your muscles – technical, management, business, strategic ... I have incredible mentors and colleagues here at Northrop to help me grow in all these areas.

You recently gave a keynote presentation at the Society of Women Engineers annual Engineers Week luncheon. How did this opportunity resonate with you?

It was incredibly humbling to be this year’s E-Week keynote speaker. Not long ago, I was a student sitting in the audience at that event, so to have made a full transition to industry and be back in Cleveland sharing my experience was surreal. I think there is a common misconception associated with keynote speakers – that they have things ‘figured out’ and as such should share their ‘figured-out-ness’ with everyone else. Let me pull back the curtain: nobody has it all together. Everyone faces challenges, self-doubt, and uncertainty; the interesting part is how you walk through the fire and come out the other side.

So, when asked to speak, I shared lessons learned from my own challenges – moving across the country to California where I had no existing support system, taking on a huge stretch assignment with high visibility and risk in a new company, and making the choice to move again from San Diego to Redondo just when I felt comfortable. I hope that my experiences provided inspiration to others to take risks and be bold. One quote is always a good reminder for me: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne

“The coolest thing I did during my time at Case was …”

… being a teaching assistant! I taught four different courses in my time at Case and actually wanted to be a professor for some time because I loved it so much. Seeing that lightbulb of understanding go off for someone was tremendously rewarding, and I learned the material better myself for having to teach it.

“My Case education …”

… has shaped who I am in so many ways. It is crazy to consider what life might look like today if I had not attended Case. From courses that challenged me to friends who will be in my life forever, a piece of my heart will always be in Cleveland, Ohio. My Case education also would not have been possible without the tremendous generosity of others. I was the recipient of the Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Scholarship (CIT ’54, GRS ’73, CWR’80, GRS’93) as well as the Ohio Space Grant Consortium Fellowship.

“My advice for today’s Case Junior/Senior Scholarship students …”

Be intentional: consider carefully how you spend your time, who you spend it with and whether that aligns with what you want out of life. If current behavior does not support your goals, be brave enough to make a change. Don’t sit back and wait for opportunity to find you – hunt it with tenacity. Your GPA is only one facet of what you offer a future employer, and you cannot underestimate the importance of building relationships with people to go places in your career. Lastly, results are considered in context; how you treat others to achieve results matters.