Dedicated to inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders, the program celebrates a major milestone of 200 Fellows and announces final class as it looks toward future plans.
Announcing the 2024 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
ANNOUNCING THE ASPIRING SPACE INDUSTRY LEADERS SELECTED FOR THE 2024 CLASS OF THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Thirty-One Undergraduate and Graduate Students Chosen for Highly Selective Fellowship Program that Connects Exceptional Individuals with Internships, Mentors, and an Incredible Network in the Commercial Spaceflight Sector
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program—a summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders—announced today the 31 individuals selected for its 2024 class. Now in its seventh year and totaling 200 current and alumni Fellows, the highly selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. Additionally, the program features a memorable summit during which the Fellows learn about space start-ups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For the 2024 class, the program received a tremendous response, with applications from approximately 250 students from 90 colleges. Applicants were rigorously screened for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space. The enthusiasm about the Fellowship comes at an exciting time in commercial space, as an unprecedented number of new companies are transforming the space program. This past year saw new rockets achieving orbit, astronauts being flown in new private vehicles, small spacecrafts launched in record numbers, and major increases in private investments. This has created a large increase in students inspired by these new opportunities to demonstrate novel technologies, protect the environment, connect the world, and explore the planets.
See below for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s Class of 2024, including each Fellow’s current school and Summer 2024 host company. (Schools where they previously earned degrees are indicated in parentheses). A full bio for each Fellow and more information is available online.
Iker Aguirre, University of Michigan — SpaceX
Urvi Alamela, University of Texas at Austin — Ursa Major
Katherine Anderson, Georgia Institute of Technology — Starfish Space
Christopher Arauzo, University of California, Irvine — ABL Space Systems
Nikki Bernuy Herquinigo, Colorado School of Mines — Gravitics
Shreya Chandra, University of California, Davis — Mandala Space Ventures
Jason Chen, University of Michigan — SpaceX
Michael Chhay, Stanford University — AstroForge
Ruth Davis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Howard University) — Aerospace Corporation
Toshihiro Davis, University of Utah —Astrolab
Henry Demarest, Yale University — Relativity Space
Eileen Duong, Boston University — Gravitics
Nathan Evans, Harvard University — Relativity Space
Abigail Harrison, Queen’s University (Wellesley College) — Voyager Space
Ryann Hee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (CSU Sacramento) — Voyager Space
Saima Jamal, University of Michigan — Rocket Lab
Connor Johnson, Georgia Institute of Technology — Firefly Aerospace
Ben Kim, Princeton University — Vast Space
Isabel Kim, Princeton University — Sierra Space
Daniel Marella, Brown University — Lynk
Sabrina Mayor, Georgia Institute of Technology — Blue Origin
Marisa Miller, University of Southern California (University of Portland) — Millennium Space Systems
Oren Minsk, University of Pennsylvania — Mandala Space Ventures
Nico Moldovean, Tufts University — Redwire
Julianne Owen, University of Florida — SpaceX
Vraj Patel, Princeton University — Redwire
Isabelle Peloso, University of California, Berkeley — SpaceX
Jacob Rodriguez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Astrolab
James Shin, Georgia Institute of Technology — SpaceX
Lawton Skaling, Stanford University — Astranis
Keven Yeh, Georgia Institute of Technology (United States Naval Academy) — Lynk
At the end of the summer, the Fellows will remain among a group of alumni who can continue to network with this program and their mentors, on the path to becoming future space industry icons. The previous six classes of Matthew Isakowitz Fellows are continuing to excel in their academic and professional careers, with many taking on volunteer roles to contribute to the continued success of the Fellowship program. The list of Alumni Fellows is available online.
The program has also added a number of new participants to its lists of host companies and executive mentors for Summer 2024. The new host companies include AstroForge, Mandala Space Ventures, Starfish Space, and Voyager Space. The new executive mentors include Sirisha Bandla (Vice President of Government Affairs and Business Development, Virgin Galactic), Bhavya Lal (Former NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy), and Whitney Lohmeyer (Chief Technologist, Federal Communications Commission, Space Bureau). The full lists of companies and mentors are available online. The full lists of companies and mentors are available online.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its alumni Fellows, donors, host companies, mentors, volunteers, and partners, including the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and Future Space Leaders.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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Media Inquiries: mifpteam@matthewfellowship.org
Announcing the 2023 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
ANNOUNCING THE ASPIRING SPACE INDUSTRY LEADERS SELECTED FOR THE 2023 CLASS OF THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Thirty Undergraduate and Graduate Students Chosen for Highly Selective Fellowship Program that Connects Exceptional Individuals with Internships, Mentors, and an Incredible Network in the Commercial Spaceflight Sector
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program—a summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders—announced today the 30 individuals selected for its 2023 class. Now in its sixth year, the highly selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. Additionally, the program features a memorable summit during which the Fellows learn about space start-ups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For the 2023 class, the program received a tremendous response, with applications from more than 250 students from over 90 colleges. Applicants were rigorously screened for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space. The enthusiasm about the Fellowship comes at an exciting time in commercial space, as an unprecedented number of new companies are transforming the space program. This past year saw new rockets achieving orbit, astronauts being flown in new private vehicles, small spacecrafts launched in record numbers, and major increases in private investments. This has created a large increase in students inspired by these new opportunities to demonstrate novel technologies, protect the environment, connect the world, and explore the planets.
See below for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s Class of 2023, including each Fellow’s current school and Summer 2023 host company. (Schools where they previously earned degrees are indicated in parentheses). A full bio for each Fellow and more information is available online.
Faraz Awan, Princeton University — Millennium Space Systems
Tycho Bogdanowitsch, Columbia University — Vast Space
Hailu Daniel, University of Maryland, College Park — Blue Origin
Hillel Dei, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Blue Origin
Candace Do, Princeton University — Rocket Lab
Catherine Dominic, University of Texas at Austin — Relativity Space
Skylar Eiskowitz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (The Cooper Union) — SpaceX
Taylor Hampson, Georgia Institute of Technology — Stoke Space
Madison Hobbs, Harvey Mudd College — SpaceX
Sydney Hsu, Stanford University (Princeton University) — SpaceX
Justin Kao, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Relativity Space
Grace Krahn, Georgia Institute of Technology — Sierra Space
Samuel Kurtin, University of Colorado Boulder (University of Texas at Austin) — SpaceX
Andrew Lesh, Stanford University — Astrolab
Russell Lubin, Case Western Reserve University — Firefly Aerospace
Clara Ma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Georgetown University) — Virgin Galactic
Therese Malinowski, Purdue University — Rocket Lab
Emily Matteson, Cornell University — Impulse Space
Sydney Menne, University of North Dakota — Astra
José Morel, Georgia Institute of Technology (Binghamton University) — Redwire
Katie Mulry, University of Texas at Austin — Ursa Major
Hannah Nabavi, University of California, Berkeley — Redwire
Mark Paral, Purdue University — Lynk
Julia Proctor, Cornell University — Astranis
Swati Ravi, University College Dublin (Columbia University) — Sierra Space
Rashmi Ravishankar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) — Gravitics
Benjamin Rich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Blue Origin
Thomas Ridgeway, San Diego State University — Astra
Charlotte Silver, Duke University — Astranis
Ryan Smithers, Yale University — ABL Space Systems
At the end of the summer, the Fellows will remain among a group of alumni who can continue to network with this program, their mentors, and past and future Fellows, on the path to becoming future space industry icons. The previous five classes of Matthew Isakowitz Fellows are continuing to excel in their academic and professional careers, with many taking on volunteer roles to contribute to the continued success of the Fellowship program. The list of Alumni Fellows is available online.
The program has also added a number of new participants to its lists of host companies and executive mentors for Summer 2023. The new host companies include Astrolab Venturi, Firefly Aerospace, Gravitics, Impulse Space, Sierra Space, Stoke Space, Ursa Major, and Vast Space. The new executive mentors include former NASA Astronaut and NASA Administrator, Charlie Bolden; Vice President of Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX, Jessica Jensen; Senior Vice President of the New Glenn Heavy-Lift Orbital Launch Vehicle at Blue Origin, Jarrett Jones; and former Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability Team at SpaceX, Hans Koenigsmann. The full lists of companies and mentors are available online.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its alumni Fellows, donors, host companies, mentors, volunteers, and partners, including the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and Future Space Leaders.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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Announcing the 2022 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
Announcing the 2021 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
Announcing the 2020 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
ANNOUNCING THE ASPIRING SPACE INDUSTRY LEADERS SELECTED FOR THE 2020 CLASS OF THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Thirty College and Graduate Students Chosen for Highly-Selective Fellowship Program that Connects Exceptional Individuals with Internships and Mentors in the Commercial Spaceflight Sector
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program—a summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders—announces the 30 individuals selected for its 2020 class. Now in its third year, this highly-selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies around the nation. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. The program culminates in a memorable two-day summit in Los Angeles during which the Fellows will network with top leaders in the industry, visit space start-ups, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For the 2020 class, the program received more than 130 applications from 68 colleges in 25 states. From that list, program coordinators rigorously screened the applicants for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space. Upon completing the summer internship, the Fellows will remain among an elite group of alumni who will have the opportunity to continue to network with this Program, assigned mentors, and past and future Fellows, on the path to becoming future space icons.
See below for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s Class of 2020, including each Fellow’s current school and Summer 2020 host company. A full bio for each Fellow and more information is available online.
Hossain Ahmad (Rutgers University) — Virgin Orbit
Millen Anand (Columbia University) — Planet
Michael Barton (North Carolina State University) — Stratolaunch
Julia Bigwood (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) — OneWeb LLC
Becca Browder (Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology) — The Spaceship Company
Douglas Chin (Princeton University) — Astra
Thomas Collins (University of New Hampshire) — Rocket Lab
Alex Coultrup (Florida Institute of Technology) — XPRIZE
Harrison Delecki (Georgia Institute of Technology) — The Aerospace Corporation
Bernadette Haig (Stanford University) — ABL Space Systems
Joshua Harvey (Tufts University) — Roccor
Michael Hauge (Princeton) — OneWeb Satellites
Eric Hinterman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Blue Origin
Meredith Hooper (Princeton University) — SpaceX
Amy Huynh (University of California, Irvine) — Astra
Megan Jones (University of Colorado, Boulder) — Iridium
Abhishek Khandal (Georgia Institute of Technology) — The Spaceship Company
Jonathan Li (Yale University) — Astranis
Alex Liem (University of Colorado, Boulder) — Virgin Galactic
Michelle Lin (University of Colorado, Boulder) — Blue Origin
Michael Luu (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — The Aerospace Corporation
Patrick McKeen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Accion
Max Newport (Stanford University) — Relativity Space
Cadence Payne (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Millennium Space Systems
Calvin Phillips (Purdue University) — OneWeb LLC
Daniel Shorr (Stanford University) — Planet
Mitchell Wall (University of Wisconsin-Madison) — SpaceX
Thomas White (Stanford University) — Blue Origin
Aaron Zucherman (Cornell University) — Starburst Aerospace
Additionally, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s classes of 2018 and 2019 are continuing to excel in their academic and professional careers as they network with one another and their mentors, receive job offers from host companies, and further their academic pursuits. The list of past Fellows is available online.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its supporters, host companies, mentors, and the following partners: Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, The Future Space Leaders Foundation, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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Announcing the 2019 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
ANNOUNCING MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM CLASS OF 2019
Twenty-Five College and Graduate Students Chosen for Highly-Selective Fellowship Program Inspiring Future Commercial Spaceflight Leaders
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program—a summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders—announces the 25 individuals selected for its 2019 class. Now in its second year, this highly-selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies around the nation. Fellows also receive a full year of one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. The program culminates in a memorable two-day summit during which the Fellows will network with top leaders in the industry, visit space start-ups, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For the 2019 class, the program received more than 100 applications from 60 colleges in 24 states. From that list, program coordinators rigorously screened the applicants for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space. Upon completing the summer internship, the Fellows will remain among an elite group of alumni who will have the opportunity to continue to network with this Program, assigned mentors, and past and future Fellows, on the path to becoming future space icons.
See below for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s Class of 2019, including each Fellow’s current school and Summer 2019 host company. More information is available online.
Nina Arcot (Princeton University) — Accion Systems
Parker Buntin (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Virgin Orbit
Manwei Chan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — NanoRacks
Konark Chopra (Virginia Tech) — SpinLaunch
Lilly Clark (University of Southern California) — The Aerospace Corporation
Cameron Flannery (University of California, Los Angeles) — Astranis
Andrew Gatherer (Stanford University) — Planet
Nakul Gupta (University of California, Los Angeles) — Lockheed Martin Ventures
Shravan Hariharan (Georgia Institute of Technology) — SpinLaunch
Joshua Ingersoll (Georgia Institute of Technology) — OneWeb Satellites
Emily Jewell (Stanford University) — Blue Origin
Lewis Jones (California Institute of Technology) — Millennium Space Systems
Gary Li (University of California, Los Angeles) — The Aerospace Corporation
Kai Marshland (Stanford University) — LTA
Patrick Miga (Georgia Institute of Technology) — Roccor
Maya Naphade (Princeton University) — Virgin Galactic
Richard Nederlander (Vanderbilt University) — XPRIZE
Charlie Nitschelm (University of New Hampshire) — Rocket Lab
Sahaj Patel (Georgia Institute of Technology) — Accion Systems
Aaron Pickard (Columbia University) — OneWeb LLC
Annika Rollock (University of Colorado, Boulder) — Blue Origin
Anjali Roychowdhury (Stanford University) — SpaceX
Madeline Vorenkamp (Princeton University) — Stealth Space
Daniel Zanko (Johns Hopkins University) — The Spaceship Company
Jayden Zundel (Stanford University) — OneWeb Satellites
Additionally, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s inaugural class of 2018 is continuing to excel in their academic and professional careers as they network with one another and their mentors, receive job offers from host companies, and further their academic pursuits. The list of 2018 Fellows is available online.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its host companies, mentors, and partners: Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, The Future Space Leaders Foundation, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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Announcing the Inaugural 2018 Class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
ANNOUNCING THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR SUMMER 2018
Twenty-Four College and Graduate Students Selected for New Internship and Mentorship Program Inspiring Future Commercial Spaceflight Leaders
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program — a new summer internship and executive mentorship program inspiring the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders — announces the 24 individuals selected for its 2018 class. The highly-selective program pairs exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at 20 cutting-edge commercial space companies around the nation. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from aerospace industry executives for a full year. The program culminates in a two-day summit during which the Fellows will network with leaders in the industry, visit space start-ups, and develop entrepreneurial skills.
For Summer 2018, the Program received more than 100 applications from 47 colleges in 21 states. From that list, Program coordinators rigorously screened the applicants for academic excellence, relevant experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercial space.
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program, Class of 2018:
Accion Systems: Adam Zachar, University of Pennsylvania
Altius Space Machines: Brian Hardy, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Astranis: Calvin Lin, Stanford University
Blue Origin: Daniel Dyck, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Blue Origin: Jeremy Stroming, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lockheed Martin Ventures: Eva Abramson, University of California Los Angeles
LTA: Leon Kim, Columbia University
Millenium Space Systems: Todd Sheerin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moon Express: Samuel Albert, Purdue University
NanoRacks: Sydney Dolan, Purdue University
OneWeb: Yash Chandramouli, Georgia Institute of Technology
OneWeb Satellites: Chloe Downs, Georgia Institute of Technology
Planet: Axel Garcia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Planetary Resources: Joshua Etkind, Tufts University
SpaceX: Dylan Dickstein, University of California, Los Angeles
SpaceX: Padraig Lysandrou, Cornell University
Stratolaunch: Ian Vorbach, Stanford University
Strike Force: Max Goldberg, University of Wisconsin
The Aerospace Corporation: Shayna Hume, University of Miami
The Spaceship Company: Alex St. Clair, University of Colorado Boulder
Virgin Galactic: Golda Nguyen, Georgia Institute of Technology
Virgin Orbit: Hailee Hettrick, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Virgin Orbit: Henry Ha, Princeton University
XPRIZE: Dylan Cohen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program thanks its host companies, mentors, and partners: Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, The Future Space Leaders Foundation, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
ABOUT THE MATTHEW ISAKOWITZ FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. Ad Astra.
Learn more at matthewisakowitzfellowship.org and on social media (@mattfellowship).
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