The Graduate Student Advisory Committee is a student-run organization with the mission of building community among aerospace engineering graduate students. The council organizes both social and academic events.
The Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) is an informal group of graduate students from each of the 5 major focus areas in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Maryland. The committee was formed in the Fall 2012 semester in response to the requests of graduate students and department faculty, and seeks to foster camaraderie, growth and success among the graduate student body.
GSAC regularly hosts research luncheon speakers who discuss a variety of topics related to Aerospace Engineering. Contact the GSAC president to learn more about how you can participate in this event as either a guest or speaker.
Laura Paquin
President, GSAC
Past Education: B.S. Aerospace Engineering 2016, Univ. of Notre Dame
E-mail: lpaquin@terpmail.umd.edu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Stuart Laurence
Research focus area: Experimental hypersonics, aerothermodynamics
Why you wanted to go for a graduate degree: School is cool!
Hobbies: Sewing, dirtbiking, hanging out with the coolest poodle ever!
Post Grad plans: Interested in a faculty/teaching position
Lucas Pratt
Treasurer, GSAC
Past Education: B.S. ('12) Chemistry, Yale University
Adviser: Dr. Christopher Cadou
E-mail: lpratt1@umd.edu
After growing up in rural New Jersey, Pratt earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Yale University, with a research focus on catalysts and organometallic chemistry. After graduation, he joined the Science Policy Fellowship program at the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Science and Technology Policy Institute, where he focused on issues in the space sector. These experiences in particular lead to his application to the University of Maryland's Aerospace Engineering graduate program where Pratt currently studies under Professor Christopher Cadou, investigating gas-turbine and solid oxide fuel cell hybrid propulsion and power systems for aircraft. With the support of the NDSEG fellowship, he hopes to be able to extend his current research interests into space propulsion systems.
Eric FrizzellLaura Paquin
Eric Frizzell
Past Education: B.S. ('17) Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland. B.S. ('09) Economics, University of Michigan
E-mail: efrizz@gmail.com
Adviser: Dr. Raymond Sedwick
Lab: Center for Orbital Debris Education and Research
Research focus area: Space Systems, Power and Propulsion
Reason for pursuing graduate degree: To develop my skills as an independent researcher and to improve my prospects post graduation
Hobbies: Running, hiking, Frisbee, disc golf, trying to learn guitar
Post Grad Plans: Anything in the commercial space industry