May 19, 2022
Congratulations to our Class of of 2022 seniors – they did it! In their capstone courses our students have been building and flying aircraft, designing space exploration missions, and solving real-world problems using computational engineering methods. Many of them have also been conducting important research alongside our faculty, participating in internships and studying abroad. Learn more about just a few of our outstanding students' experiences and what they plan to do next as they head out to change the world.
Lakshmi "Mythri" Paluri
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Minor in Russian Language | Honors Program
Hometown: Houston, TX
Scholarship: Cockrell School Alec Whaley Engineering Honors Scholarship
Leadership Roles: Project Manager, SCOPE Mission, Texas Spacecraft Lab; WIALD Secretary (2019-2020); Class of 2022 Representative, LUNAR Council
Undergraduate Research: Working on SCOPE Mission in TSL: “No one walks into their first day as a freshman thinking they will ever lead a satellite mission, but I’m so incredibly excited to have done just that. Being SCOPE’s Project Manager opened me up to the world of mission design, which is an area I’m excited to now pursue as a career.”
How has your UT experience helped prepare you for your career path?
“UT shaped me into the aerospace engineer I am today. I’m extremely fortunate, not just to have been a part of exciting organizations, but also to work with such passionate faculty and motivated peers. I’m excited to take what I’ve learned at UT into the next phase of my educational path.”
Best UT Memories
“Staying up late nights in the ASE lobby with my friends! I’ve never laughed more in my life, and studying for exams is 10x more fun with others. I also really enjoyed exploring all the awesome coffee shops of Austin! I’ll always cherish my time at UT, for all the friends I’ve made, things I got to work on, and all the professors who taught me so much. Hook ‘em!!” ??
What’s Next?
I will be pursuing my master's degree in aerospace engineering at Stanford University in the fall.
Nicholas Aufiero
B.S. Computational Engineering and Plan II Honors
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Awards: National Merit Finalist. I also won an All Tournament player award when I reached the final of the national club soccer championship in Foley, Alabama
Leadership Roles: President, UT Men's Soccer. Officer, head of recruitment for the Society of Plan II Engineers
Undergraduate Research: I was a Moncrief undergraduate scholar two summers ago and worked in Dr. Sach's lab in the Wilkerson Cardiovascular Center, which is part of the Oden Institute. I also worked at the Texas Advanced Computing Center as a software engineer.
How has your UT experience helped prepare you for your career path?
UT has given me the opportunity to explore so that I could figure out what my passions are and what I would like to do after graduation. The size of the university and the rigor of the student body ensured that I could find opportunities in whatever field I wanted to learn more about.
Best UT Memories?
Winning the penalty shootout in the semi-final of the soccer championship, taking us to the final against BYU. Also, I had a blast working with the ASE students as part of our senior design project. ASE's project was to build an airplane, and my team of COE students were tasked with building an automatic target recognition software which would run on the plane as it searched for targets of interest.
What’s Next?
I will be joining LinkedIn as a Site Reliability Engineer.
Mihir Kamble
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Elements of Computing (CS) Certificate
Hometown: Austin, TX
Scholarships and Awards: T. W. Whaley, Jr. Friends of Alec Endowed Scholarship, UT Honors: Distinguished College Scholar 2021 (Top 4% in Cockrell School), UT Honors: College Scholar 2020 (Top 20% Cockrell School)
Leadership Roles: Flight Software Lead in Texas Spacecraft Laboratory (2019 – 2022); Internal Systems Team Lead in UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Austin (2018-2020); Officer in Tau Beta Pi (Interdisciplinary Engineering Honors Society; active member since 2019); ASE/COE Peer Advisor and Coordinator
Internship Experience: Working at JPL had always been a dream of mine growing up, so getting the opportunity to be at the forefront of space exploration as a student has been beyond fulfilling. During my time as a software intern on the Europa Clipper mission, I've learned a tremendous amount about mission planning and simulation, and I'm constantly inspired by all of the incredibly smart, passionate, and kind people that I have the privilege of working with.
How do you feel your UT experience has helped prepare you for your career path?
I think that getting involved with a variety of student organizations at UT and within the ASE department as well as conducting undergraduate research has helped me find the areas that truly interest me and that I am passionate about pursuing into the future.
Best UT Memories?
Late night food runs after study sessions in the ASE lobby and computer lab, playing soccer at the IM fields on Friday evenings, and going to UT Football games.
What’s Next?
I will be attending graduate school at Stanford University to pursue a Master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics with a focus on autonomous systems and controls.
Congratulations, Class of 2022!
View photos of graduation on our Flickr library and the ASE/EM Instagram account.
