Katiyayni (Kati) Balachandran has always had her eyes on space.
Her dreams paid off when she became the seventh UTA student selected by the Zonta International Foundation as an Amelia Earhart Fellow.
Balachandran, a doctoral student, works with aerospace engineering Professor Kamesh Subbarao in the Aerospace Systems Laboratory. Her research focuses on developing techniques to model the shape and estimate the attitude of space objects using photometric light curves.
“Searching for the unknown and discovering new worlds is what makes space fascinating. As human interest grows, so will the number of objects out there,” Balachandran says. “Hence, identifying and tracking them is pivotal for future space exploration.”
The most recent honoree from UTA is Distinguished Alumna Wendy Okolo (’10 BS, ’15 PhD, Aerospace Engineering), an aerospace engineering researcher at NASA Ames Research Center.
“I’m proud to join an exceptional group of women who have previously received this prestigious award, many of whom worked in the Aerospace Systems Lab,” Balachandran says. “I’m appreciative of the support in this male-dominated industry. This fellowship allows me to focus on learning and sharing that knowledge with others passionate about the aerospace engineering field.”
