September 10, 2020

photo of evan silvaEvan Silva, an aerospace engineering sophomore, is a recipient of the Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year. Over 6,000 applications were submitted and just 199 winners were selected to receive the highly competitive award. The scholarship was established for high school seniors and undergraduate students pursuing a major in engineering or computer science who demonstrate financial need and come from underrepresented or underserved communities. Learn more about Silva’s passion for aerospace engineering in this brief Q&A.

When did you first become interested in the field of aerospace engineering?

I first began expressing interest in aerospace engineering after watching the last space shuttle flight in 2011. Since then, I have grown interested in spaceflight, astrophysics, and the design of aircraft. Years of watching shows on the Science Channel and Mythbusters pushed me into STEM and, as a result, aerospace engineering. 

What do enjoy most about the UT Austin aerospace engineering program?

My favorite part of the aerospace engineering program at UT Austin is the student organizations. Student orgs in the ASE department are full of ambitious, passionate students, and with the support of ASE/EM faculty, create an invaluable learning environment to meet other students and explore individual interests.

Tell us about your involvement with student projects.

I am the Chief Engineer of Design, Build, Fly, and a member of the Flight Systems Team in the Longhorn Rocketry Association. Additionally, in the fall of 2019, I worked on two student research projects for NASA Micro-g NExT Challenge and the Texas Space Grant Consortium's Design Challenge designing a lunar coring tool and an initial Mars base.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school to obtain a master's degree and then continue to a doctoral program, to become a professor. I am interested in working on supersonic/hypersonic aircraft or exploratory rovers and probe missions.