You think you know...Ryan Schulte:

UK Fan

About Me:

I am a Mechanical Engineering major from The University of Kentucky (Yeah, I was surprised NASA knew that Kentucky existed, too). I grew up in Taylor Mill, Kentucky and I only wear shoes when I have to. Unfortunately I do not own any cows or horses.yet. At school I am involved in AIAA, ASME, and I am the Athletics Chair for Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.

How I Got Here

With the help of the UK Co-op Office, I started looking in the spring of my sophomore year for a Fall semester Co-op. I knew that I wanted to work in the Aerospace/Aviation industry and that I wanted to get out of Kentucky for awhile. Of course my first instinct, like everyone else, was I want to work for NASA. The Co-op Office sent out my resume to many of the NASA centers as well as many private companies (Lockheed, GE Aviation, Boeing, etc.). I also interviewed with a multitude of companies in different industries during my school's engineering career fair. I received offers from a number of companies including GE Aviation and Belkan Laboratories, but none from NASA. None of these offers truly excited me so I made a difficult decision to turn them all down; praying something better would come along down the road. Come May, still nothing from NASA. I still had an offer on the table from Cummins Diesel Engines for a summer internship which I accepted.

Shuttle Simulator

I spent my summer working for Cummins in Columbus, Indiana working with the CPE (Combustion, Performance, Emissions) Group running tests on engines such as different fuel injection and exhaust gas recirculation systems, as well as designing some data analysis tools. About midway through the summer, I received a phone call from HR at NASA Johnson Space Center requesting a phone interview which eventually turned into a job offer which I, of course, accepted. So just remember, even if it looks bleak don't give up; I mean look at me!

Floating in the C9

Work

I am currently on my first tour of duty at NASA. I work out at Ellington Field, which is an airfield about 15 minutes north of JSC. Ellington is the home base for many of NASA's aircraft, including the T-38, STA (Shuttle Training Aircraft), Super Guppy, WB-57 (basically a U2 on steroids), and of course the C-9, known affectionately as the "Vomit Comet" (which I got to fly on). I have had a multitude of different projects out here working with many of the aircraft. Some of these projects include fixes and updates to the T-38 Pitot-Static Probe and Travel Pod, as well as designing and drawing up new parts for the upgraded WB-57 landing gear. As you can imagine, Pro/E and I have gotten to know each other VERY well.

At Beach Party

Free Time:

One of the best parts of being a Co-op at NASA is the fun had outside of work. The Co-ops here, although coming from all over the country, make for a very close knit group of friends who are all very active and like to have a good time. Whether it is our soccer or softball league, karaoke night, weeknight parties, or learning the "Thriller" dance, every day after work I am busy with something. Weekends also make for some good times. We have made trips to Galveston for camping on the beach, to San Antonio to visit the country's largest - Schlitterbahn Waterpark, to Surfside for the legendary Beach Party weekend, I can go on and on. Bottom line is you will most definitely not sit around bored.

The Co-op Soccer Team

Contact:

If you have any questions about anything at all feel free to contact me at ryan.schulte@uky.edu or ryan.w.schulte@nasa.gov. Especially if you go to U.K. because I am getting tired of all these Purdue and Texas A&M students bragging about how great their school is. GO BIG BLUE!!!