Ananya Prasad

Undergraduate Student, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

What are you are studying/what you are interested in studying and/or researching while at Purdue? If you have done internships or other applicable experiences, feel free to include them here.

At Purdue, I am studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Apart from my academics, I am an undergraduate student researcher at TNT Labs here at Purdue, working on self-sensing composite materials. This summer, I continued my research work at TNT Labs by working on developing methods to detect damage on thin, high-conductivity film by applying electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Additionally, I am also a part of Women in Aerospace, and worked on planning and organizing the Amelia Earhart Summit this past school year.

What made you want to join the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program?

I was drawn to the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program because it provides an excellent opportunity to form meaningful connections and learn from professionals that are involved in space careers, as well as interact with my peers who are also passionate about careers in the space industry. Additionally, I am excited to grow my leadership and communication skills as part of this program.

What area would you like to work in after graduation? (What career path, interests, opportunities, etc., would you like to accomplish? What field are you interested in?)

As someone who is particularly passionate about sustainability, I am interested in working in the space industry to explore ways to combat the climate crisis on a global scale. Whether it be through aiding in the design of satellites to detect tropical storms or working on spacecraft like NASA's OSIRIS-REx to retrieve samples from other worlds to minimize the impact on the Earth, I am excited to explore the possibilities the space industry has on combating climate change. I am also interested in working in the commercial aviation industry to work to make aircraft more fuel efficient for the future of commercial air travel and transport.