In honor of Engineers Week, Aerospace is spotlighting a few of our many great engineers and getting a peek at the exciting projects that they’re focused on. Keep checking back to Meet Our People all this week!
Name: Yao
Alma Mater: B.S. in Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley; M.S. in Chemistry, Stanford University
Department: Energy Technology Department/Electronics and Photonics Labs/Physical Science Labs
Can you tell us about the work you do here at The Aerospace Corporation?
Developing a world-class facility for space photovoltaic characterization and solar array modeling at Aerospace. Coordinating and leading tours of the Physical Sciences Laboratory to our customers, collaborators, STEM groups, universities, and other interested parties.
Who or what inspires you? Why?
My work, my mentors and management. My work because we are the leaders that our customers and industry look to as subject matter experts. My mentors and management because of the breadth and depth of their knowledge, experience and understanding of the critical needs in the field. Also my son because I want him to be inspired one day as well because his mommy does exciting and important work.
When was the moment you realized that you wanted to make this your career?
When I give tours to labs and see the amazement on people's faces because of the awesome science we do here.
What work is Aerospace doing that excites you the most outside of your own department?
Too many... All the avant-garde satellite capabilities being developed and tested by our AeroCube team, replicated optics that reduces the time to make optics from years to months, an atomic-scale resolution transmission electron microscope to an X-Ray CT scanner you can walk into. In general, always finding out that we have world-class testing facilities throughout the company that is unparalleled in the world.
Why did you choose to work at Aerospace?
The job was cool and the people are even cooler.
What advice would give to an engineer joining The Aerospace Corporation?
Welcome to the family and have fun! There is so much you can learn from others and come for a tour of the labs!
If you're interested in joining the Aerospace team, be sure to visit our careers page.