Teagan Smith

Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minors: Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Manufacturing
Year: Fourth-Year

• Who are you co-oping with?

NASA Langley Research Center in  Hampton, VA.

• What are your day-to-day tasks?

I spent my time at NASA doing Advanced Nanocomposite Materials Development. In my day-to-day, I would synthesize composites with boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) and boron nitride nanoplatelet (BNNP) nanofillers, as well as run experiments and tests on other thin-film composites I had made to characterize their material and mechanical properties. I was working to develop a thin-film polymer nanocomposite that would be able to function in a Surface Acoustic Wave dust mitigator device in extreme space environments for future spacecraft and the Artemis missions.

• What was your favorite part?

It's hard to pick a favorite part of my co-op, but I loved being surrounded by highly motivated academic minds who were constantly innovating while also maintaining a strong work-life balance. The people at NASA Langley are extremely kind and knowledgeable about their work, and I was able to learn so much outside of my primary role just by asking random people if they could show me what they do!

• What is something you've learned that you didn't know before starting your co-op?

Before working at Langley, I wasn't aware of the intersection between biomedical engineering and aerospace. I learned through my co-op of how many unique ways my field can be used in an aerospace application and discovered so many more career paths I can take! I'm hoping to continue my biomedical engineering career through human spaceflight research and spacesuit evaluations.

• How did you find your co-op?

I actually never applied to my co-op—they reached out to me asking me to work with them! I had submitted an application to a job at NASA Johnson in Houston, TX, but received a phone call one day from someone at the NASA Langley Headquarters asking if I would be interested in the job. Once you apply to one job on the NASA internships portal, any employer across any NASA center can view your profile and reach out to you if they are impressed by your experience. This is more of a rare occurrence, so for those who are interested in applying for a NASA internship, I would recommend that you apply individually to every opportunity that interests you. I am so thankful that my mentor found me!

If another student asked you about co-op, what would you tell them?

If you're an engineering major, do a co-op! It's a great way to take a break from the stress of schoolwork while also gaining valuable experience in your field.