Alumni News

“Single failure mode” - Alum takes on a new challenge as a Survivor contestant

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:06:24 +0000

“Single failure mode” - Alum takes on a new challenge as a Survivor contestant Jeff Zehnder Mon, 06/15/2026 - 14:06

Jeff Zehnder

As a Lockheed Martin program manager, Steven Ramm (AeroEngr’13) leads a team of engineers working on concept designs for NASA lunar exploration missions.

But last year, he took a break from his day-to-day job for a chance at $1 million in prize money on the long-running reality show Survivor. Ramm competed in season 49, spending weeks in Fiji to outwit, outplay and outlast as one of 18 competitors.

“I wanted to see what I’m made of when you take all of the support systems away and there no redundancies like a spacecraft. It just me, single-failure mode, and what can I make happen. It was the most fun I’ve had in my entire life,” Ramm said in September after filming concluded but before the season aired.

Season 49 aired in late 2025. Ramm excelled on the show, taking part in competition events and navigating the complex interpersonal intrigue for which Survivor is known. He was eventually “voted off the island,” but not until the penultimate episode.

Enduring weeks in the jungle, Ramm said the experience changed him.

“Growing up not being the best at math, but now being a successful aerospace engineer, I’ve always felt a little bit like an imposter in some of the NASA boardrooms and meetings. So to play the game and discover the edges of myself in such an exciting way, I learned there nothing that I can’t do if I put my mind to it,” Ramm said. “I think that rings true for everybody.”

Returning to Colorado after the extreme highs and lows of competing on the CBS show, it took Ramm some time to get back into the groove as a working engineer.

“Being out on the island, I felt like all of my emotions and senses were dialed up to 11,” Ramm said. “You’re always playing the game, 24/7 — and coming back home not playing that game, your day-to-day coworkers aren’t conspiring to vote you out of the company, but your mind is still a little bit geared that way.”

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Memorial volleyball tournament has been supporting CU Engineering students for over 20 years

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:04:56 +0000

Memorial volleyball tournament has been supporting CU Engineering students for over 20 years Jeff Zehnder Mon, 06/15/2026 - 14:04

Jeff Zehnder

A player dives into a save with an erupting cloud of beach sand. Onlookers cheer as the ball is propelled back and forth over the net.

It a typical-looking beach volleyball game on California Manhattan Beach, but this one is part of an annual tournament that honors a lost friend and supports engineering education.

Chad Keller (AeroEngr’93) life and career were tragically cut short in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But his memory endures through a scholarship that has helped dozens of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� aerospace students.

Since its creation in 2002, the volleyball tournament has given family and friends a way to fund the scholarship, which provides awards of $12,000-$14,000 to two or three students each year.

“We get to meet the students and see the difference this has made in their lives,” said Kathy Keller, Chad mother. “We’re honored and blessed.”

Recipients have gone on to positions as engineering professors and in industry at small and large organizations, including SpaceX, Sierra Space, Boeing, NASA, Scaled Composites and BAE Systems.

Dick Keller said his son knew from an early age that he was going to launch rockets.

After graduation, Chad worked at Boeing on rocket propulsion systems that lifted national security payloads and satellites into orbit. On 9/11, after completing a briefing with the Department of Defense on a recent satellite launch, he boarded American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. He was 29 years old.

Following the loss, his parents and wife, Lisa, were determined to honor his memory in an ongoing way. The result was the scholarship in Chad name for undergraduates in aerospace engineering sciences.

“Chad was an immense Buffs fan. He loved the sports, loved the school and loved the area,” Dick said.

The Kellers encouraged family members and friends to donate, and with Lisa and Chad three closest friends, organized an annual volleyball tournament in his hometown of Manhattan Beach to continue raising money.

“When Chad was growing up, we’d always go down to the beach in the late evenings. The kids would bring their surfboards, and we had adults who were very good at volleyball, so everyone learned it. We’d surf and play volleyball until sunset,” Dick said.

Their expectations for the tournament were small, but the now-annual event and scholarship have endured for more than two decades.

“Rather than being endowed, the scholarship is funded each year through the volleyball participant donations. We’ve now done it for 23 years,” Dick said.

The tournament typically brings out 100-150 people.

“The tournament started with Chad friends, and now they’re all in their 50s, and it their kids who are competing. Past scholarship recipients will also attend, and a lot of them give back as well,” Dick said.

In establishing the scholarship, the Kellers decided it would go to juniors or seniors in aerospace engineering who also participate in sports and are actively engaged in community service or volunteering.

“The sport doesn’t need to be Division One or varsity, but we want students who are well-rounded; the kind of person who is living life to the fullest. That what makes us think of Chad every day,” Dick said.

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Alumna a Blue Origin leader and unexpected astronaut

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:59:52 +0000

Alumna a Blue Origin leader and unexpected astronaut Jeff Zehnder Mon, 04/27/2026 - 08:59

Jeff Zehnder

Laura Stiles (AeroEngr MS’11, PhD’13) recently received the opportunity of a lifetime – a trip to space.

A �Ͼ�Ʒ�� aerospace master and PhD graduate and director at Blue Origin, Stiles has more than 12 years of experience at the company. Her roles have included capsule parachute design, mission CAPCOM responsibilities, and most recently, leading training for their New Shepard suborbital astronaut program.

While most Blue Origin astronauts are paying customers, earlier this year, after a previously announced crew member fell ill and could not make the trip, she was asked if she was interested in filling their slot aboard New Shepard 38. The answer was an easy yes.

What is it like, seeing Earth from space?

It a surreal visual. We see pictures all the time and you know conceptually what it going to look like. But it is such a stunning view to see Earth from up that high. It just incredible. It still a bit indescribable.

What is the trip experience, from liftoff to touchdown?

Liftoff is super loud with lots of shaking. Leaving the pad, you see the reflection of the engine flames on the ceiling of the capsule, which is really dramatic.

As soon as you lift off, the G forces start increasing, and you are starting to feel the pressure on you from that acceleration. It builds and builds and builds, and it's an overload of every sensation.

At main engine cut off, we also turn off many of the systems that make noise inside the capsule, so it goes from a very physically demanding and loud environment, to feeling no sensation of gravity and it being incredibly quiet.

Then it's about 10 seconds before the capsule physically separates from the rocket, and there's springs between the two vehicles, so you get kind of kicked into the front of your harness.

I had a brief sensation of everything feeling upside down, because now the pressure is on your front side where the harness is holding you. Your brain is trying to parse together the view, which is already confusing, because you've never seen it in your life, and now gravity feels like it flipped, too.

You have about four minutes of weightlessness. As soon as I took the harness off, it was just free floating and the most peaceful and surreal sensation I have ever had.

Coming back is intense, and so fast. It goes from microgravity to about 5.5 Gs so fast. I could feel my eyelids closing and my lip was starting to droop. It gets much harder to breathe as your chest weighs 5.5 times what it normally does.

The whole trip is only 10.5 minutes and it's so physically intense. Even with very few physical movements in the capsule, it still is very physically intense.

How were you selected to go?

Stiles with Smead Aerospace Chair Hanspeter Schaub after touchdown. Schaub was Stiles' PhD advisor at �Ͼ�Ʒ��.

I’ve been on the New Shepard program for 12.5 years, with several years in the role of training the astronauts.

There always been a behind the scenes conversation about what we would do if someone had to drop out. We have swapped people before, but with a couple weeks’ notice.

This time, we didn’t find out until three days before that a customer was sick. While normally we would look for another customer to fill in, it was just so late in that flow that no one could make it.

So, the question became, “Who is on site right now and not in a primary launch crew role.” I’m in a management position and the pieces came together at the right place at the right time.

Do you worry about something going wrong on the flight?

I’ve been so involved in the design, testing, and launch of the vehicles that I trust the systems and the backup systems very deeply.

It is spaceflight, and it inherently risky. I internalized that risk a long time ago. It something I’m willing to have in my life. I’m a skydiver. I have a different risk threshold than other people.

We’re very transparent with the customer – here the list of every hazard we’re aware of and how we mitigate those hazards, but this is spaceflight and it risky.

A few days after your launch, Blue Origin suspended the New Shepard program to focus on the NASA Artemis Moon Missions. How has that changed your job?

It's been such a whirlwind. I had a team of 55 people, and the whole New Shepherd and BE-3 engine program was about 700 people. It's been a big effort to redeploy everybody to different parts of Blue Origin.

I’m going to join the lunar permanence team, supporting the long-term strategy for how we build up infrastructure and get people to the Moon.

NASA just announced a change to the flow of the Artemis missions where they've added a new Earth orbiting rendezvous they're calling Artemis 3. That's the project I'll immediately work on. From there, I think it'll switch to more of the long-term vision and strategy for presence on the Moon.

You started at Blue Origin in a front-line engineering position. What led you to leadership?

My first role at Blue Origin was in a recent graduates rotation program. That let me try out a bunch of different roles.

I ended up doing mechanical engineering on the parachute system. I had a background in skydiving and parachutes, and it was the right skills at the right time.

We were still a pretty small company. Parachutes was my main job, but I would fill in on other things, like mission control for launches, from one of the initial rotations I did.

In 2018, Blue Origin decided to make a whole organization dedicated to launch, operations, and maintenance. That when I started in a manager role.

Becoming a manager, there's some basic training they give you, but I don’t know that I was super prepared. It was a small team that I started with, 4-5 people, and then we grew it and grew it until it became 55 people. It been a really rewarding job.

What should current students looking to work in commercial space do to be on the right path?

You can come into Blue Origin, SpaceX, or any of these companies with such a range of backgrounds. We need every discipline of engineering.

People fret about, “Should I do aerospace, or mechanical, or something else?” It doesn't matter to some degree. Do what you love, and you'll be able to get to that destination.

For people who are in the academic world and are getting a PhD, doing hands-on, practical things is a huge skill set Blue Origin looks for. You're not just a thinker, but a doer.

There's a reputation for people with PhDs that we’re always in thought-land and can't make decisions. It good to show you have some experience with building things or hands-on practical applications.

Laura Stiles (AeroEngr MS’11, PhD’13) recently received the opportunity of a lifetime – a trip to space. A �Ͼ�Ʒ�� aerospace master and PhD graduate and director at Blue Origin, Stiles has...

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Smead Aerospace honors alumni, retiring faculty at 2026 banquet

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:39:30 +0000

Smead Aerospace honors alumni, retiring faculty at 2026 banquet Jeff Zehnder Mon, 04/06/2026 - 11:39

Jeff Zehnder

Alumni Banquet Flickr Gallery

Alumni, faculty, family, and friends took part in the 2026 AeroBuffs Club Alumni Banquet and Awards Ceremony Friday.

The Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences recognized eight graduates and two retiring faculty members during the event at the Hotel Boulderado on April 3.

The AeroBuffs Club Alumni Academy inductees are being recognized for work in business, civil, and military aerospace spheres.

“These honorees are both established leaders and rising stars across aerospace engineering science," said Hanspeter Schaub, professor and chair of Smead Aerospace. "We're excited to recognize these individuals for their achievements and what they've given to aerospace engineering and sciences. They represent the best of our field, solving big challenges and pushing the limits of what is possible in aerospace engineering sciences."

Alumni were recognized in three categories:

Outstanding Alumni for Excellence in Commercial Enterprise

Over 40

Jonathan Fentzke (AeroEngr PhD’09) – A pioneering entrepreneur, Fentzke has founded three companies and mentored over 500 more, helping businesses develop. Fentzke is also named on six patents and has coauthored dozens of research publications.

Outstanding Alumni for Excellence in Public Service

Over 40 Category

Andrew Adams (AeroEngr BS’91, MS’93) – A senior advisor at the Aerospace Corporation, Adams is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School with decades of experience in the military and private sector as an expert in national space systems and cybersecurity.

Erica Rodgers (AeroEngr BS’98, MS’00) – With over 25 years of experience in spaceflight missions, research, and design, Rodgers has provided her expertise to multiple businesses, laboratories, and NASA. She now serves in a leading role at the �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Center for National Security Initiatives.

Colonel James Voss (Ret.) (AeroEngr MS’74, Honorary PhD’00) – A veteran of five NASA Space Shuttle flights, Voss has spent more than 200 days in space. His career has taken him from U.S. Army Ranger School, to the astronaut program, business, and the world of education, including 15 years teaching classes at �Ͼ�Ʒ��.

Excellence in Technical Achievement and Leadership

Over 40 Category

James W. Young III (AeroEngr BS’88, MS’89) – A pilot pilot, Young has over 14,000 hours of flight experience across 200 different aircraft types, from small Cessnas to the Boeing 747. He is an FAA Designated Engineering Representative Flight Test Pilot, and is the president and chief test pilot of Mmo Aviation Services.

David Klaus (AeroEngr MS’91, PhD’94) – With decades of experience in research and education, Klaus has made his mark. As creator of the Bioastronautics Focus Area within Smead Aerospace, Klaus has advised or taught over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and been part of dozens of orbital payloads.

Bryant Loomis (AeroEngr MS’05, PhD’09) – A geodesy leader, Loomis serves as lab chief at the NASA Goddard Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory and has played key roles on an array of earth science missions, including the GRACE, GRACE-FO, and ICESat-2 satellites.

Under 40 Category

Dylan Boone (AeroEngr MS’11, PhD’13) – A navigation team chief at NASA JPL, Boone has played a major role in the Europa Clipper Mission for over 10 years and has also been part of orbit determination on the Cassini Saturn Probe and New Horizons Missions.

Retiring Faculty

In addition to alumni, two faculty members were also recognized for distinguished service to the department and �Ͼ�Ʒ��.

Emeritus Professor Jeff Forbes - 32 years in Smead Aerospace, including four years as department chair.
Emeritus Professor Jeff Thayer - 26 years in Smead Aerospace, including five years as director of the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research and eight years as faculty director of the Space Weather Technology, Research and Education Center.

Alumni, faculty, family, and friends took part in the 2026 AeroBuffs Club Alumni Banquet and Awards Ceremony on Friday. The Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences recognized eight graduates and...

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Smead Aerospace recognizes 2026 alumni award honorees

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:59:56 +0000

Smead Aerospace recognizes 2026 alumni award honorees Jeff Zehnder Mon, 03/23/2026 - 09:59

The Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences is honoring eight alumni for outstanding contributions to industry, for technical achievement, and public service.

The 2026 AeroBuffs Club Alumni Academy inductees are being recognized for work in business, civil, and military aerospace spheres.

Honorees are being recognized in three categories:

Outstanding Alumni for Excellence in Commercial Enterprise

Over 40

Outstanding Alumni for Excellence in Public Service

Over 40 Category

Excellence in Technical Achievement and Leadership

Over 40 Category

Under 40 Category

All the honorees will be officially recognized at the 2026 AeroBuffs Club alumni banquet and awards ceremony on April 3.

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Two-time graduate and pilot recognized with 2026 Alumni Engagement Medal

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:06:58 +0000

Two-time graduate and pilot recognized with 2026 Alumni Engagement Medal Jeff Zehnder Mon, 02/23/2026 - 09:06

James “Jim” Young III graduated from the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences in 1988 with a BS and in 1989 with a MS. The last real glory years for CU football. While at CU, Young earned his private and instrument rating at the Boulder airport. That would lead to the next 25 years in aviation.

Young is the chief experimental test pilot for Mmo Aviation Services Inc. He has been directly involved in experimental flight tests since 1991. He spent six years as a flight test engineer for several companies before transitioning to become a flight test pilot. For over 25 years, he has been a FAA Designated Engineering Representative Flight Test Pilot and Flight Analyst for all aircraft categories and light helicopters; he is one of few DERs to be dual qualified.

Young has participated in two Type Certificate Programs and over 250 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) programs. He has over 14,000 flight hours in 200 different aircraft types and has 14 type ratings. He has tested aircraft from small Cessnas to the Boeing 747 super jumbo. He has also flown worldwide as a corporate pilot and airline pilot and holds commercial glider and floatplane ratings, as well as an instructor license.

Over the past 20 years, Young has specialized in performance and handling qualities testing, primarily in transport aircraft, including highly modified aircraft. He has performed every type of test required for FAA certification. Young has completed numerous high risk tests, including dive testing, flutter clearance and spin testing. He has experienced unpredicted divergent pitch response, control reversals, unmodeled aeroelastic events and multiple departures from controlled flight.

Flight test highlights include: First flight of the Lockheed Martin F-35 CATBird B737 testbed, 777 and G-V initial certification, Aviation Partners winglet programs, multiple aerial fire tankers, multiple special mission/ISR modified aircraft, and Head of State VIP completions. Young is an associate fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and serves as a member of their Foundation Board, as well as serving on the membership and editorial committees.

Young and his wife, Jana, are both active in supporting �Ͼ�Ʒ�� aerospace engineering program. They sponsor senior design projects and provide regular consultation with the students. Jim Young actively supports students by helping them build their professional network while still in school. Once these students have entered their career, he continues to provide them with mentorship and networking opportunities.

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Smead Aerospace graduate a NASA astronaut candidate

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:21:37 +0000

Smead Aerospace graduate a NASA astronaut candidate Jeff Zehnder Thu, 01/29/2026 - 12:21

Jeff Zehnder

Erin Overcash (AeroEngr’14, MS’17) is an aerospace engineer, U.S. Navy pilot, and new NASA astronaut candidate.

An alumna of the �Ͼ�Ʒ�� and a Kentucky native, Overcash was selected as one of 10 astronaut candidates from over 8,000 applications received for their Astronaut Class of 2025.

In September, she began a two-year NASA training program to become eligible for space flight assignments. She discusses her experience so far and personal background below:

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What has the NASA training been like so far?

Right after the public announcement, we immediately started astronaut candidate training. It a two-year training program, where they're effectively teaching us all of the broad-based skills of life in space.

Much of that is focused on International Space Station systems and procedures and how things work once you get to the space station. NASA is transitioning to Artemis training, but a lot of those same concepts, skills, and systems apply.

We are flying the T-38 Supersonic Trainer Jet that builds our resource management skills, which is a big concept in the aviation industry – two people in a fast moving airplane who are fully responsible for themselves in their aircraft. You have to make decisions quickly, working well as a team, so it's important for our training that we fly in a fast paced environment.

We are also starting our space suit scuba diving in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab this spring. I have been fitted for a spacesuit, which is kind of unreal. I’ll have have scuba dive sessions in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, human jungle gyming around the space station mockup underwater with my ASCAN peers, which is awesome.

Everyone said the suits would be uncomfortable. But you just don't know what that means until you try to wiggle your body into this hard upper torso. It's pretty eye-opening.

Astronauts, at least on the space station, their schedules are fully booked. You are a human science experiment, and you are running science experiments for other people. My goal, especially in astronaut candidate training is to learn those fundamental skills, do them well, and do them safely and efficiently.

How did you find out you were chosen?

I’m a Navy pilot F-18 and was preparing to deploy. I was packed up and five days away from meeting my aircraft carrier to pull out of port.

I went through the interview process, thinking this is a really cool experience, and I'm going to make the most of it, not expecting to get the call. I was ready to do the deployment with my whole heart.

It was 9 o'clock at night on a Monday and here's this unknown number dialing my phone. My spouse and I looked at each other one last time, knowing that this moment could change our lives forever.  

I answered the call, and it was the chief of the Astronaut Office offering me the job, which is giving me goosebumps to think about, still.

Overcash and the 10 members of the Class of 2025 NASA astronaut candidates.

What brought you to �Ͼ�Ʒ��?

My dream started as wanting to fly, wanting to be a pilot, wanting to study aerospace engineering. That's what led me to �Ͼ�Ʒ��. I'm from Kentucky, born and raised, but Kentucky did not have an aerospace engineering program within the state.

I joined Navy ROTC. The Navy paid for school and I went through CU for aerospace. It really set me on this path of opening doors to the things that I loved, which coincidentally also opened doors to being an astronaut, but those things were independent of each other at the time.

I remember walking through the Engineering Center at CU and seeing the alumni astronaut photos on the wall and feeling so inspired. CU airspace program is known for producing astronauts and really good, high level professional aerospace engineers. I thought being an astronaut would be this really cool job, but going to CU was the first time I thought, wow, I'm kind of on track.

What has your career path been since graduation?

I graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's. Because I went through Navy ROTC, I became a pilot. I went through Navy Flight School and at the same time got my master's degree in bioastronautics, also from CU via their distance learning program.

After I became an F-18 pilot, I had an operational tour and I spent three years living in Japan, with multiple deployments on an aircraft carrier. That was an eye-opening experience, really cool, awesome, challenging, and insightful.

I went through the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in 2022 and had a really fun, enlightening experience as a test pilot in the F-18 for the Navy flying departures – departing the airplane on purpose, spinning, falling backwards, and tail sliding through my own exhaust. Things that most aviators never get to do and that was my everyday as a test pilot. I loved that job.

I was about to go on deployment with my next squadron when NASA called, so I had a good path in life set up either way.

Find what you're passionate about and go for it" - Erin Overcash

How many times had you applied to the astronaut program before?

You'll probably be surprised to hear that this was my first time applying. which is really unusual, and I can't explain that. I feel lucky and honored and privileged to be here. It just happened to work out this time.

What do you think made you an appealing candidate to NASA?  

I don't necessarily have one piece of advice besides find what you're passionate about, and just be really, really good at that. I was not on the selection board, but my impression is that NASA wasn't looking for people who really wanted to be astronauts, they were looking for people who were really good and really loved the job that they were doing.

Find what you're passionate about and go for it, and if you are a good, hard-working person with an open mind and you're curious, everybody's got a shot.  

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Challenger and Columbia memorial event set for Jan. 31

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:11:05 +0000

Challenger and Columbia memorial event set for Jan. 31 Jeff Zehnder Fri, 01/23/2026 - 15:11

The Arnold Air Society will host a memorial for the Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) disasters. Between these two missions, 14 courageous astronauts lost their lives in the pursuit of exploration and innovation. Among them were two CU alumni: Col Ellison S. Onizuka and Kalpana Chawla.

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Smead Aerospace grad appearing on Survivor

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:18:28 +0000

Smead Aerospace grad appearing on Survivor Jeff Zehnder Wed, 09/24/2025 - 09:18

Jeff Zehnder

I wanted to see what I’m made of when you take all of the support systems away and there no redundancies like a spacecraft. It just me, single failure mode."

Steven Ramm (AeroEngr’13) is a Lockheed Martin program manager and CBS Survivor contestant.

The �Ͼ�Ʒ�� aerospace graduate leads a team of engineers at Lockheed Martin working on concept designs for NASA lunar exploration missions, and earlier this year took a break from his day-to-day job for the chance at $1 million in prize money on Survivor Season 49, which airs Wednesdays on CBS.

Why did you want to be a contestant on Survivor?

Survivor has always been a dream of mine. I’ve loved the show ever since I started watching and always watched the players going through the game thinking, “I would do this differently, I would do that differently, I’d be way more cutthroat, I’d be way more diplomatic.”

Growing up I was not very good at math, it was my least strong subject, but I loved space so much that I studied my butt off and ended up getting a degree from �Ͼ�Ʒ��. I looked at Survivor and thought, “I am going to be so far out of my comfort zone if I play this game,” but that where all the growth happens.

I wanted to see what I’m made of when you take all of the support systems away and there no redundancies like a spacecraft. It just me, single failure mode, and what can I make happen.

I learned a lot about myself and I had so much fun. It was the most fun I’ve had in my entire life.

Was being an engineer helpful on the show?

�Ͼ�Ʒ�� is something I hold near and dear to my heart. I love the aerospace department, all the opportunities its given me in my career and life.

Besides just the basic mechanics of building things like a shelter, which was pretty intuitive, my job working in industry is bringing a lot of different coalitions of people together to achieve a common goal. Space is very difficult, it the hardest thing you can do. Not only are you competing with the technical aspect of it, but you’re bringing together the political climate. Every Administration has a different agenda with NASA. You have big budgets that you’re working towards and tight deadlines.

I got very good at communicating with lots of people in different areas. Being able to meet people where they’re at and deliver the message in the most effective way possible is a massive skill to cultivate. That was extremely helpful in a game of social politics, which I felt was what 99% of Survivor was, working with these people and making sure they don’t want to vote you out.

The survival aspect is very tough, but it the social politics, and I got pretty good at that with a lot of what I’ve been doing in my life.

On Survivor, hiding your career from other contestants can be beneficial, particularly for people who work in highly technical fields. Did you take a cue from past players and avoid sharing what you do for a living?

You are just going to have to tune in. That was part of my strategy coming in. I went back and forth on it a lot. It is something people take into consideration.

How many times had you applied to be on the show?

First time. I was incredibly shocked. Now here I am. I’m proof if you are interested and Survivor is a dream, or anything, and you feel like maybe you’re not good enough for it, just apply. Put your name in the ring.

I never want to look back and wonder, “What if?” I’ve always raised my hand to apply for things that were extremely cool, but maybe way out of my comfort zone. It served me well in life and is my one piece of advice – if I can make it happen, you can do anything.

Was it a problem asking Lockheed Martin to take five consecutive weeks of vacation?

I was very blessed with a very supportive manager who understood and supported my dreams. Lockheed Martin was very supportive of the endeavor. I was little nervous, because you’re going to be on national television, but they said, “This sounds like an incredible opportunity for you, good luck.”

After the season wrapped, what was it like going back to work?

It was harder than I thought it would be. Being out on the island I felt like all of my emotions and senses were dialed up to 11. Not having been on my phone or answering any emails, it was a little challenging to reintegrate at first. The spreadsheets were not slapping the way they used to.

You’re always playing the game 24x7 and coming back home not playing that game, your day to day coworkers aren’t conspiring to vote you out of the company, but your mind is still a little bit geared that way. I had to constantly remind myself, “This is normal, they’re just talking about work stuff. They’re not conspiring to betray me.”

What is your biggest takeaway from being on Survivor?

One of the motivators for going on the show was to shed some imposter syndrome that I’ve been carrying with me. Growing up not being the best at math, but now being a successful aerospace engineer, I’ve always felt a little bit like an imposter in some of the NASA boardrooms and meetings.

I’ve always been my biggest critic, so to play the game and discover the edges of myself in such an exciting way I learned there nothing that I can’t do if I put my mind to it and I think that rings true for everybody.

This season is going to be one for the books. I think a lot of people are going to be very excited. Of course I’m biased, I was there. I think the fans will really enjoy this one.

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Recent grad reaches new heights in aerospace

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 16:48:03 +0000

Recent grad reaches new heights in aerospace Jeff Zehnder Wed, 07/23/2025 - 10:48

Andrew Sapuppo graduated in May 2024 with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering and engineering physics from the �Ͼ�Ʒ��. Learn more about his undergraduate research experiences, career path, favorite CU memory, and advice for future students.

From the nanoscale to black holes

While an undergrad, Andrew worked at CU Aerospace Nanoscale Lab, where he contributed to improving the robustness of potential quantum computer storage systems. He also worked as a space plasma instrumentation analyst at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), where he evaluated the accuracy of instruments aboard NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites (MMS).

In addition to his engineering experience, Andrew wrote and successfully defended an honors thesis on Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feedback and galaxy formation by simulating plasma accretion flows around supermassive black holes.

Career takes flight

After graduating from CU, Andrew became a computational plasma physicist at Thea Energy. Here, he helped develop technology for fusion reactors by optimizing diverter systems.

Now, Andrew works directly in the field of human spaceflight. He works as a propulsion systems engineer at NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center as a contractor. His work entails analyzing the Main Propulsion Systems (MPS) on the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) of the Space Launch System (SLS) block 1B. Specifically, he creates thermal models of the liquid oxygen (LOx) and hydrogen tanks to benchmark performance for various stages of flight.

Additionally, Andrew oversees the main propulsion systems for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) for SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. His work ensures Falcon 9 meets mission requirements to send NASA astronauts to the International Space Station safely.

Favorite �Ͼ�Ʒ�� memory

Andrew recalls his favorite memory was hiking to the Royal Arch the first weekend he moved there with people he barely knew. That group would become great friends throughout all of college.

Advice for future students

Get involved with as many different groups after school as possible, both academic and recreation based. Use them to really figure out what you like and surround yourself with people who have similar goals, so you can all help each other accomplish them.

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