An Exciting Time in the Space Industry

Liz Karagiannes joined nearly 1,000 other undergraduates in applying for the 2023 Brooke Owens Fellowship and was one of the 47 that were selected.  

As a fellow, Liz will be working at Lockheed Martin on trajectory-related work for its interplanetary projects. 

“I have been following Lockheed Martin’s projects for years, and I have always been in awe of their pristine reputation and legendary achievements. It is exciting that I will now be able to contribute to such a notable aerospace company,” she says. 

She was encouraged to apply by Andy de Fonseca (AE ’22), a classmate and Brooke Owens Fellowship alum. 

At Illinois Institute of Technology, Liz has served in leadership roles in a number of Illinois Tech organizations. She is currently co-president of Women in STEM and president of Illinois Tech Rocketry. 

“Being able to do my IPRO [Interprofessional Project] sessions dedicated to Illinois Tech Rocketry has been a great opportunity,” says Liz. “Earning course credit for the hands-on experience that we do outside of the classroom has allowed me to be able to dedicate more time and effort to the club to develop its projects and missions.”

The Brooke Owens Fellowship won’t be Liz’s first time working at an aerospace company. She was also an intern at Northrop Grumman in 2022, during which she contributed to the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the main place astronauts on NASA's Gateway mission will lodge when visiting the Moon.  

Liz enjoyed this work so much that she has continued to work part-time for the company. 

“It is exciting to be able to join the space industry when there are so many milestones taking place,” she says.