February 5, 2024
By Ashley Ritchie

Katherine Anderson, an undergraduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected for the 2024 class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program.

The highly selective program awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students passionate about the commercial spaceflight industry with paid summer internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies, one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, and a memorable summit during which the fellows visit space start-ups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills.

Anderson is studying mechanical engineering while minoring in aerospace engineering and is interested in the intersection of space and sustainability. This summer, she will intern at Starfish Space in Seattle, Washington.

At Georgia Tech, Anderson has contributed to the Space Systems Design Laboratory, operating NASA's interplanetary Lunar Flashlight satellite, and has also worked in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory focusing on model-based systems engineering.

Previously, Anderson has interned at Planet Labs as a systems engineer for the Tanager satellite designed to identify methane emissions and at Argonne National Laboratory, where she simulated the effects of carbon tax on power distribution.

Anderson currently leads the Georgia Tech Energy Club and serves as the secretary of the Georgia Tech chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing piano, and hiking.

The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program is a non-profit organization honoring the memory of an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind.

Four other Georgia Tech students, Connor Johnson (AE), Sabrina Mayor (AE), James Shin (EE), and Keven Yeh (CSE), were also chosen for this year's class of the program.