SOCORRO, N.M. – Sara Lanctot, an NMT undergraduate, has been selected to be a panelist for the “NASA STEM Stars” webinar discussion with four of her fellow NASA Pathways Agency Cross-Center Collaboration (PAXC) interns.

Lanctot, a student in mechanical engineering at NMT, Ipictured at far right of the image) will discuss her personal and educational journey that led to an internship with NASA. The event will be live at noon Wednesday, April 14.

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Lanctot is currently interning for NASA Armstrong Flight Center in California. Due to the pandemic, she is doing her internship online from home in Santa Fe.

“It is a great experience; I love it!” Lanctot said. “They make you feel like you're among family, and they are very supportive of student work/research. I have had an enjoyable experience during my internship, where I have learned a lot from the work I am doing in logistics and outside the agency. NASA has its own intern club, which helps to do networking and learn about many other areas.”

Lanctot is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering. Her internship is for the spring semester and has accepted an internship with Los Alamos National Lab for the summer.  

She has done several research projects with NMT faculty member Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian. Her wide range of research includes work on lunar dust mitigation for EVA suits; moon exploration robotics to assist Artemis Missions; autonomous drones for underground mines and for polar research; and drilling mechanisms for space and Earth ice sampling.

She has two published papers, one accepted for the AIAA Aviation Conference, and five more that are under review for the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and seven poster presentations.

Everyone is invited to watch the live event, and ask your questions about pursuing careers in STEM.

“NASA STEM Stars” is a webchat series that connects students with subject matter experts to learn about STEM careers and ask questions about STEM topics.

The panel discussion is one of several events during the week to mark AIAA Professional Week. The events are Speed Networking (April 12), NASA STEM Stars Internship panel (April 14), and teaching students how to fly drones in the drone cage at the library (April 16).

– NMT –