Team Leadership at MASA
Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA)
Some of our most formative experiences are often the toughest ones. When we are thrown in the deep-end of something new, the overwhelming feeling of trying to learn while still meeting deadlines can be brutal. At the end of it, we realize that not only have we learned how to do something new but we have grown into a better version of ourselves. For me, this is what the Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA) was. Over two and a half years, I grew from a student learning the ropes of liquid rocket propulsion into a System Engineering Director, coordinating seven cross-functional subteams and more than fifty engineers. It was the kind of engineering environment with real stakes, hard deadlines, and learning that comes whether you expect it or not.
Systems Engineering Director
When I became the Director of Systems Engineering at MASA, my job shifted from doing engineering to enabling it. Coordinating across propulsion, strutcures, aerodynamics & recovery, ATLO (assembly, test, and launch operations), and avionics meant I had to understand each project on each team deeply enough to identify conflicts and understand how each system will interface and integrate. All the while I had to keep vehicle-level requirements in view when individual teams and projects were understandably focused on their own piece of a huge puzzle.
One of the problems that I took initiative at tackling is knowledge continuity. In a collegiate rocketry club the turnover rate is brutal. Every year, experienced members graduate and the knowledge they gained oftentimes departs the team with them. To avoid rebuilding the technical and institutional knowledge from scratch every time, I worked to implement documentation practices that made critical knowledge presistent, searchable, and easily editable using tools the team is comfortable with. If a future engineer joining MASA can understand why a design decision was made three years ago, that’s a huge win for the team’s long-term capability.
Clementine: Launch Crew on the Most Powerful Student-Built Rocket Ever Flown
In May 2023, I was part of the launch crew for Clementine. As of March 2026, Clementine remains the most powerful student-built kerolox rocket to have ever taken flight. The engine produced 5 kN of thrust and the rocket successfully reached about 2300m (~7500ft). Being part of an expeditious 23 person crew for the launch was equal parts nerve-wracking and exhiliarating.
In the twelve week pre-launch campaign, I supported the field propulsion team in the construction of the thrust-chamber assembly and its integration in the full rocket system.