Amy Brzezinski…
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At NASA Headquarters Summer 2005 |
Welcome to my biography! My name is Amy
Brzezinski, and I am a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, right
across the river from Boston. I earned my undergraduate S.B. degree in Aeronautical
and Astronautical Engineering from MIT in 2005 and decided I was crazy enough
to stay on at MIT to earn my Masters (S.M) degree in the same department.
As of this writing, I am halfway done with my Master’s degree. My graduate
research is with the Humans and Automation Lab (HAL). Check out the cool
work that I do when I’m back at MIT here.
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| Saturn V Rocket Replica – MSFC |
My journey to become a Co-op at JSC stretches back to age 12, when I saw
the movie “Apollo 13.” It was then that I fell in love with space and
particularly manned spaceflight exploration. My passion for space has lead
me to work on such things as a simulated Martian gravity biosatellite, the
smallest androgynous satellite docking ports in the world, and next generation
spacesuit prototypes. Additionally, I’ve participated in the NASA-MIT
January Operations Internship at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where I got to
actually go inside real ISS modules! I was a Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
NASA Academy Research Associate in 2005 and I worked at NASA Headquarters.
I’ve also interned with Boeing in the ISS Hardware-Software Integration
group at JSC.
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Inside the REAL ISS Node 2 at KSC - January
2004 |
I’ve wanted to co-op at NASA JSC for about
two years. I found out about the program when I was working as an intern
at Boeing. However, because I was entering my senior year of college,
it was too late for me to become an undergraduate co-op. After bugging
the co-op office for about two years and talking to as many JSC people
as I could, I was hired on as a Graduate Co-op in DT46, which is the
Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) training division.
My job as a co-op is to certify to teach a lesson in ISS ECLSS Joint
Airlock Operations and then instruct other instructors, flight controllers,
and maybe even astronauts! So far, I’m really enjoying my work – I’ve
gotten to take classes in station mockups in the famous building 9, I’m
learning Russian, and I love working with the people in my group! Being a co-op is more than just working in your division. There are lectures,
tours, and fun social events! JSC co-ops and full time employees are wonderful
people who love what they do and are very excited about space. NASA JSC is
the happiest place on Earth!
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Co-ops just love those T-38s! |
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Even though I’m crazy about space, I don’t spend 24 hours a day
at JSC (it is tempting…). I’m currently training for a marathon
which I plan to run in January 2007. I also am a private pilot – I learned
how to fly in the Houston area in 2004. I may take up playing hockey again
at some point – I played three years on MIT’s women’s varsity
team. I love music, theatre, and movies, and I like going on adventures whether
in the city or country.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about
NASA, JSC, MIT, acronyms, graduate school, being a co-op, or anything in
general! My email address (for life) is amybrz@alum.mit.edu. Thanks for reading!
Last Update: 8 September 2006
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