Payton Clem
Payton Clem is a Master of Science Student in the Aerospace Engineering department. She is graduating from Texas A&M with her Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering with Minors in Mathematics and Astrophysics in Fall 2023. During her undergrad, she was involved in campus activities like working at the Memorial Student Center to provide support to her fellow Aggies, and was a member of P.S.U.N., an on campus organization that provides free programs and events to children with special needs. Finding an interest in research, she worked in Dr. Daniel Selva’s lab, SEAK, on a NASA SBIR project with Aureus Innovation to develop a new systems engineering language. This involved creating a satellite design from scratch using systems engineering diagrams with the SIMPL developing language. Within the SEAK lab she also assisted in developing a rule based planner that would be used in a space mission simulation for space mission design. She was also the project lead of her capstone design group, which provided a satellite constellation design, as well as mission planning software to aid in the solution of an on-orbit servicing problem for L3Harris. As she continued her research, Payton developed an interest into the applications of artificial intelligence within the aerospace engineering field. Payton became a member of VSCL in her senior year, applying her interest in AI by working on the Robust Threat Detection project, research she will continue during her Masters. Her work with VSCL will be primarily focused on Autonomous, Nonlinear Control of Air, Space and Ground Systems.
Noah Luna
2nd Lieutenant Noah Luna, USAF, is a Master’s student in the aerospace engineering department. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering and Computer Science. During his undergraduate studies, he performed research on a neural network based flight control system for an ongoing fixed-wing project through the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Additionally, he completed an internship and further research with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works as a Software and Flight Test engineer developing nonlinear adaptive flight controls for aerial systems. He has been selected to go to pilot training after earning his Master’s degree from Texas A&M. At VSCL, Noah will be working on Adaptive Control for Multiple Time Scale Systems.
Cassie-Kay McQuinn
Cassie-Kay McQuinn graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with Summa Cum Laude and Engineering Honors. Cassie-Kay is a M.S. student and has been an active member of VSCL since Fall 2021, working in system identification. In addition to completing Engineering Honors, she is a Presidential Endowed Scholar, the 2021 Aerospace Engineering Advisory Board Scholarship recipient, and has earned a certificate of Holistic Leadership in Engineering through completion of the Zachry Leadership Program. She is the current President of the Texas A&M chapter of the Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society. While being a grad student she has interned with Sandia National Labs and most recently with the Air Force Research Lab researching safe autonomy for aerospace systems. As an undergraduate she interned with L3Harris Technologies working in the Structural Analysis and Structural Design departments. Cassie-Kay’s main interests include flight test engineering, aircraft dynamics and system identification.