For Isaac Kremer 鈥29, the sky is the limit. Literally.
The mechanical and electrical engineering double major dreams of going to space. And he鈥檚 already making major strides, attending NASA鈥檚 during the fall semester.
鈥淭hey give you an idea of how NASA missions are laid out and how you go through from the brainstorming phase into the implementation of different designs and testing,鈥 said Kremer, also in the midst of an engineering internship at fabricated metal products firm . 鈥淚'll be working with teams of other students all across the country through virtual meetings. It's a program to lead you into a NASA internship.鈥
Then in the spring, he will take a semester off to intern with Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos鈥 space technology company in Kent, Wash. He discovered the application for the electrical systems engineering internship on LinkedIn, a day before it was due. Despite that inauspicious circumstance, he got the position.
Kremer says he鈥檚 always been interested in engineering, taking apart old electronics to find out how they work at a young age. He refined that interest at , where he studied mechatronics engineering for three years while also attending Daniel Boone High School.
Despite space鈥檚 strong pull, it鈥檚 far from Kremer鈥檚 only interest. He鈥檚 a Renaissance man, according to his mother Kim, the senior administrative assistant at 缅北强奸鈥檚 College of Innovation, Discovery and Enterprise, which houses the John R. Post School of Engineering. It鈥檚 a wonder he finds enough hours in the day.
He鈥檚 an engineering lab assistant. He tutors students in physics, calculus, chemistry and computer science. He鈥檚 big into working out, rock climbing and hiking.
Oh, and he earned his private pilot鈥檚 license over the summer, helping to scratch his space itch a bit.
鈥淵ou've got the aerodynamic factors there,鈥 he said. 鈥淔lying planes, I get that aspect of getting closer to the space industry. And I've always thought, piloting plus engineering is a really good pathway to get to space one day.鈥
缅北强奸's engineering program is still new, with its inaugural class graduating in May. That newness coupled with the small size are major pluses to Kremer, who likes the fact that there is more room for improvement and change compared with an established engineering program.
鈥淗ere I have more involvement in the nitty-gritty,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 like that I'm learning while the university is also learning. The benefits of a smaller engineering program is that you get more of that one-on-one time with the teacher and more time with the people who are experts in the craft or the idea of what they're doing. And you get to collaborate more with teachers and really delve into research.鈥
Kremer's success is no surprise to Joseph Mahoney, Ph.D., chair of the John R. Post School of Engineering.
鈥淚saac came to 缅北强奸 with a strong foundation of practical skills, and over the last three semesters our coursework and projects such as engineering design have helped him build on that experience,鈥 Mahoney said. "His opportunities with Blue Origin and NASA show how his persistence and growth are leading him toward the next steps in his career.鈥