Aeronautical Engineering Student Receives Achievement Award From NASA

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By Kari Fox

Ashley Pugh, an aeronautical engineering major, was recognized at the NASA Ames Research Center annual Honor Awards Ceremony as a recipient of the Group Achievement Award. The award recognizes her work as an intern on the NASA team with the second generation Large Civil Tilt Rotor test in the Vertical Motion Simulator (LCTR2), a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

Pugh applied online for internships with NASA before the beginning of her junior year and worked as an intern winter break 2010 through spring break 2011. She then returned as a senior intern for the summer of 2011 to assist with the LCTR2 testing.

“The actual testing took place for only four weeks, so we had to make the most of those four weeks,” says Pugh.

A total of nine test pilots from industry and military tested the LCTR2 and evaluated the performance of the aircraft. Pugh’s job was to keep the team organized and on task.

“I recorded the evaluations given by the pilots, organized and analyzed the results immediately and informed the team of any new data,” says Pugh. “The lead test engineer, Dr. Carlos Malpica, would weigh which hover flight control methods were priority for the next pilot according to my data.”

Malpica said Pugh’s help with this part was essential.

“It removed an enormous amount of overhead work off our plates, allowing us to focus wholly on the conduct of the experiment,” says Malpica.

He also described Pugh as a very organized and motivated worker. “She required very little direction and showed self-motivation and good initiative, staying one step ahead of our requests,” says Malpica.

William Warmbrodt, branch chief of the Aeromechanics Branch, says Pugh was an ideal candidate for an internship.

“Ashley embodies all the characteristics we are looking for in our branch when we offer school semester or summer internships, a strong education foundation in engineering basics, good math and physics skills, eager to learn, motivated, a self-starter, and an excellent team member with good interpersonal skills,” says Warmbrodt. “These same characteristics will be very useful for her in her career, whether it be with an airframe manufacturer designing new airplanes or conducting aeronautical research in a national laboratory.”

Pugh says her opportunity with NASA was an “experience of a lifetime” and the value of doing undergraduate research is “indescribable.”

“I learned how to participate in a group, tackle a large project, properly write a technical paper, how to present myself and interact with industry professionals, the list goes on,” says Pugh. “Most importantly, my work at NASA gave me faith in myself and hope for the future. This opportunity is going to be what allows me to succeed after graduation.”

Pugh says she was excited when she was notified about the award, and immediately forwarded the email to her parents and best friend.

“Never did I think I would work for NASA,” she says. “Let alone receive a national award from them.”

Categories: AwardsStudents