Graduate EDUCATION AND RESEARCH Volume 5, Issue 1
Summer 2016 Newsletter
GRADUATE EDUCATION BANQUET
On Friday, May 13, 2016, Parks Graduate Education held a banquet celebrating our 2016 graduating class. Over 30 graduates were invited to attend the event at Il Monastero that included cocktails, a seated meal, and a short program. Their advisors, our Graduate Advisory Board, administrators, and staff rounded out the group of about 65 people. After some opening remarks from Dr. Steven Buckner, Dr. Michelle Sabick, and Dr. Riyadh Hindi, an alumnus, Peter Hasser, M.S. in Engineering, spoke about his experiences earning his degree at Parks and how it has helped him in his career in industry. Then, Spring graduate Justin Schmeltz, M.S. in Engineering, shared his perspective on being a recent graduate from Parks and his career plans. Concluding the program, Dr. Hindi presented the Outstanding Graduate Student and Faculty awards. After the formal program, many attendees stayed for conversation and fellowship.
ALUMNI UPDATE: CATCHING UP WITH MANUEL POSSO, M.S. Manuel Posso will tell you that he hails from more than one place. Born in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, his family moved to the U.S. when he was a child, residing in Lilburn, Ga. Posso then moved to St. Louis for his college years. He completed his undergraduate degree here at Saint Louis University in aerospace engineering before entering the master’s program in aerospace and mechanical engineering in the fall of 2012. We caught up with Posso recently to discuss his experiences at Parks and beyond.
Q What attracted you to Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology? A I knew that I wanted to become an engineer and work on aerospace platforms, so aerospace engineering
was naturally a good fit. I stumbled upon Parks College while doing basic college research during high school. In the end, there were three differentiating factors that set Parks apart from all other options for me: its rich history and large impact in the aerospace industry in the United States, the possibility of an extended study abroad in Madrid, and its affiliation with the Jesuits. Tell us about your time at Parks. My research area was micro-satellites. The term “micro” is relative and has nothing to do with the SI system prefix, and it actually refers to what are historically small satellites. These satellites have a high failure rate in space, so I specifically explored the feasibility of an orbit-based diagnostics toolbox to ultimately face fewer failures. My advisor was Dr. Swartwout, and under him and with the Space Systems Research Lab (SpaceLab), I also participated in the development of COPPER and Argus until my graduation in August of 2014. What about your experience at Parks prepared you for your current position? While classwork is crucial and constitutes the foundation of my knowledge and expertise, the true training ground was everything I did outside of the classroom. Founding the SLU Rocketry Club, leading the Association of Parks College Students, participating in Student Government, and being part of the team to develop SLU’s own first satellite really sharpened my technical skills acquired in class and helped me grow in my nontechnical areas as well. Tell us about your career post-Parks College. About a month before graduation, I was offered a position at Boeing Phantom Works to work requirements. I just found out I will be starting a new chapter of my career with Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA.
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