STEPHANIE MANASTERSKI
Matthew Isakowitz Fellow, Class of 2022
University of Pittsburgh, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Physics
Host Company: Virgin Orbit
Stephanie Manasterski is a Junior at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a dual degree in mechanical engineering and physics. Her first glimpse into engineering was through the Iris lunar rover at Carnegie Mellon University. This 5-lb, shoebox-sized rover will be the first American lunar robot as well as the first student-built rover to drive on the Moon, and she is proud to have contributed to its design, assembly, and testing in anticipation of its launch in 2022.
As a student with a fascination for propulsion but nowhere to practice it (as Pitt’s aerospace presence is still fairly young), this past fall, she co-founded PropLab, a rocket propulsion team. Here, students are working to build, design, and fire a solid APCP rocket motor and a liquid bipropellant engine, both for the first time at Pitt.
Outside of aerospace, she loves practicing karate and exploring different cultures through cooking.