UA Engineering Student Selected for Prestigious Aerospace Fellowship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Lilly Saub, a University of Alabama junior majoring in aerospace engineering, is one of 47 undergraduate students in the nation selected for the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a nationally acclaimed nonprofit program that awards exceptional women and gender minorities with an internship in the fields of space and aviation.

Saub, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, will take part in the program that pairs each fellow with a summer internship at one of the leading aerospace companies, an executive-level mentor who is a senior leader in the aerospace industry and a peer-level mentor from the Brooke Owens Fellowship alumnae network. This year’s fellowship recipients were selected from nearly 1,000 candidates through a competitive application process that involved written and creative submissions and multiple rounds of interviews.

“It feels amazing to be one of the recipients selected for the Brooke Owens Fellowship,” Saub said. “The application process was intense at times, but I am glad that I pushed myself and made it to this point where I now get to take part in the fellowship and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

As part of the fellowship, Saub will intern with Ultra Safe Nuclear, a global leader of nuclear technologies and services, in Seattle this summer. Saub will work closely with the company’s nuclear thermal propulsion division to design and analyze components and subsystems of flight and test hardware. She will also be responsible for assembling, maintaining and operating test stands for components to further develop nuclear-powered rocket engines.

“This experience will be particularly exciting for me as it will be my first internship in the aerospace industry,” Saub said. “I look forward to exploring various aspects of the aerospace industry and hope this opportunity will show me what my career path after graduation could possibly look like.”

In addition to the internship, Saub looks forward to the enhanced network the fellowship will provide her.

“A unique aspect of this opportunity is that I am considered a ‘Brookie’ now,” Saub said. “All of the current and previous fellows are referred to as ‘Brookies,’ and it is a privilege to be a part of this community and get to network with other women and gender minorities in the aerospace industry.”

During her time at UA, Saub has been involved in numerous on-campus organizations that she believes have prepared her well for this experience. She is a member of the Alabama Rocketry Association and works on the liquid propulsion team. Saub was formerly the association’s chief safety officer and wrote a comprehensive safety handbook that outlined standard operating procedures for the organization. She is also a member of the Honors College and Sigma Gamma Tau honor society for aerospace engineering.

“Being a student at The University of Alabama has allowed me to practice hands-on engineering, develop my critical thinking and problem-solving skills and learn what it means to be a part of a team,” Saub said. “My experiences are what set all ‘Brookies’ apart, and I would not have made it to this point without them.”