The 2024 20 Twenties—Tomorrow’s Aerospace Innovators

This year’s winners will be recognized March 14 during the 20 Twenties Awards Luncheon and Aviation Week Network’s 66th Annual Laureates Awards in Washington. The 20 Twenties program is conducted in partnership with Accenture.

During his graduate studies at the University of Maryland (UMD), Ashry serves as a graduate research assistant specializing in autonomous drone technology. As a Fulbright Scholar, Ashry works with the UMD Autonomous Micro Air Vehicle Team, which is aiming to win the 2023 National Institute of Standards and Technologies Unmanned Aerial Systems Indoor Challenge 5.0 Championship.

Earlier in his educational career, Ashry co-founded the Egyptian Space Academy, an organization designed to provide hands-on learning experiences for young students in Giza, Egypt.

Since the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Ashry has dedicated his research to developing autonomous drones and cutting-edge life-detection systems that will be capable of bridging the gap between disaster survivors and first responders in record time.

Throughout her studies, Bhingradiya has worked as an undergraduate researcher with the Collective Dynamics and Controls Lab (CDCL) and the Nearspace Balloon Payload Program as a payload and operations engineer. Her work with the CDCL led her to a robotics engineering internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where she developed steering systems for robotic microswimmers for future missions to extraterrestrial ocean worlds such as Europa and Titan. She also served as chief engineer for Quantum Space’s intern team, developing and building double-unit (2U) cubesats.

Bhingradiya is passionate about empowering gender and racial minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and is inspired by former International Space Station Commander Sunita Williams. Born in western India, she was originally discouraged from pursuing engineering abroad. After being accepted by UMD with a scholarship, she aims to pave the way for other women to thrive in the space industry.

A graduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Gavilanez Gallardo is researching the use of AI to create geomagnetic maps, a potential alternative to global positioning systems. Her work will inform her first academic publication, “Augmented Geomagnetic Navigation Architecture by GANs-Enhanced Anomaly Magnetic Maps.” She is active in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and supports first-generation students through the Discovery Scholars Program at Embry-Riddle.

Before moving to the U.S., Gavilanez Gallardo volunteered with Dibuja una Sonrisa, an organization that assists cancer patients. As a non-native English speaker and member of the LGBTQ+ community, she has faced many challenges in her educational career. She says she holds pride in her identity as a “resilient and genuine woman.”

Giannuzzi works as a graduate research assistant at the University of Central Florida, focusing on the creation of an oscillatory flow valve for high-speed rotating structures. She previously worked as a research intern for the Raytheon Technologies Research Center, which partners with her current project.

Giannuzzi has led an active extracurricular life, serving as director of internal affairs for the Dean’s Student Advisory Board during her time at Wright State University. Additionally, she was a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society electoral board and president of the Club Softball team.

During her studies, Giannuzzi experienced academic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the passing of multiple members of her fiance’s family. Despite the obstacles, she regained her academic success and plans to pursue a Ph.D.

While studying advanced computer science at the University of Cambridge, Kim works as a vacuum vessel engineering intern for Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Previously, she interned with SpaceX as a Starlink payload mechanical engineer. During her sophomore year, Kim was chief engineer for the Harvard Satellite team and led fellow students on designs for their 2U cubesat. Kim also worked as a data scientist for Code for America, expanding accessibility to broadband internet for low-income constituents in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Kim hopes to build her own startup in satellite communications and control systems, with the goal of providing access to technology in underserved communities around the world. Inspired by her father, an inventor, Kim hopes to increase the presence of other first-generation students in the STEM field.

As a visiting student researcher at NASA’s JPL Electroactive Technologies Group, Lamb focuses on surface-parallel actuation active mirror technology for next-generation space telescopes. He has also interned with the European Space Agency (ESA), where he researched thermal analyses to determine the best practices for lunar landers and payloads. Before that, Lamb interned with Rolls-Royce on its Future Programs Combustion Team, where he was trained by thermal experts.

Lamb is largely inspired by his late mother, who passed away from ovarian cancer during his ESA internship in 2022. Despite the loss and his socioeconomically disadvantaged upbringing, Lamb has persevered in reaching NASA as a foreign national.

While pursuing his graduate degree at Purdue University, Lazzaro works as a reliability engineer for Pratt & Whitney. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on a NASA University Leadership Initiative project focusing on autonomous aerial cargo operations. He also served as a student ambassador of the Engineering in the World of Data Learning Community.

Lazzaro has worked with companies such as Gulfstream Aerospace, where he served as an intern in the 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing Lab.

As an Eagle Scout, Lazzaro is no stranger to community service. His Eagle Scout project involved managing exterior and grounds construction at a hospice. Additionally, Lazzaro led as a head troop guide, instructor and assistant senior patrol leader with National Youth Leadership Training.

While pursuing her master’s degree in aerospace engineering, Misra gathered extensive experience across the aerospace industry. Currently, she conducts research with Georgia Tech’s Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory for NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator Task 7. Misra has interned with aerospace leaders such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and the NASA Langley Research Center. Her work focuses on testing electrified aircraft propulsion technologies.

During her studies, Misra volunteered with NASA’s Georgia Space Grant Consortium and Sigma Gamma Tau and served in multiple executive board roles for Georgia Tech’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics student branch. Despite biases in a male-dominated field, Misra has learned to overcome obstacles and continues to mentor younger students.

Nawaz serves as a manufacturing industrial engineer intern in the welding department at Whirlpool Corp. During her collegiate career, she presented her research on mitigating dust buildup on solar panels used for extraterrestrial vehicles such as NASA’s Mars Spirit rover, through which her work was published in the 2024 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Forum.

For three years, Nawaz has served on the executive board of her school’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, most recently as secretary. Through the organization, she works to empower other young women pursuing engineering degrees. During the pandemic, Nawaz took care of her mother, who suffered multiple health issues after contracting COVID-19. Through all of this, Nawaz has proven to be a persistent and determined young professional.

As an instructional aid for the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Department, Papp pairs her studies with her work in student organizations. She has served as internal vice president for her school’s chapter of Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics (WIAA) and is an active member of the Sigma Gamma Tau aerospace engineering honors society and Michigan’s Amateur Radio Club. Her experience includes work as a system engineering intern for Boeing AvionX, where she collaborated with Wisk Aero on its autonomous electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Papp founded and led Michigan’s Aerospace Cybersecurity Team, a group of undergraduate students working to enhance cybersecurity for uncrewed aerial vehicles in civil and defense applications. She plans to pursue her graduate degree in aerospace engineering later this year.

Reitz has worked as an intern for Michigan’s Model-Based System Engineering Leadership Lab and plans to pursue her master’s degree after completing her bachelor’s degree in May.

As an undergraduate, Reitz is working to develop a new master’s degree course on engineering ethics to promote a “people-first engineering” philosophy. She serves as conference chair for Michigan’s chapter of WIAA, through which she has also become a mentor for younger students.

Reitz is an advocate for Latino students pursuing aerospace degrees, having helped to establish the Latinos/Hispanics United in Aerospace student organization. Through extensive budgeting and academic scholarships, Reitz will graduate debt-free and now financially supports her younger sister’s higher education.

Focusing on autonomous drone technology, Rossmann is pursuing her master’s degree in aerospace engineering while serving as a spacecraft controls analysis intern at NASA’s JPL. Her work experience includes being a graduate research assistant for the Collective Dynamics and Control Laboratory as well as a systems engineering intern for Northrop Grumman. She aspires to design extraterrestrial rotorcraft similar to NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

During her senior year of undergraduate studies, Rossmann was president of her chapter of WIAA and now serves as a graduate liaison. She overcame the financial obstacles of attending school out of state by earning three consecutive scholarships from WIAA. Outside of her studies, she devotes her time to mentoring executive board members for her chapter.

As a National Science Foundation fellow, Singh is performing doctoral research to understand the effects of lunar dust and the lunar plasma environment on materials for missions to the Moon’s south pole. During her internship at NASA Ames Research Center, she developed and verified a model simulating the effects of deep-space radiation on microbes, which could provide insight into the effects of galactic cosmic radiation on humans. Singh also partnered with JPL during her undergraduate research project to create an octopus-inspired actuator for soft capture in space.

Singh is passionate about teaching the next generation and aspires to become a tenure-track professor. She mentored an undergraduate student through University of Colorado Boulder’s Discovery Learning Apprenticeship program and developed an Introduction to Rocket Science class for underserved high school students to increase the accessibility of STEM topics.

Tran’s graduate research aims to bridge the gap between hybrid-electric aircraft innovation and implementation by analyzing how such aircraft could be optimally incorporated into operations of a regional carrier. He has completed internships at Boeing, United Airlines and aviation consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory.

As a first-generation pilot from an immigrant family, Tran used his personal experience of navigating industry barriers to entry to write a book about how to get the next generation of pilots into the cockpit. The book provides a guide to obtaining a pilot’s license and asserts Tran’s perspectives on why aviation needs more diversity and inclusion. Tran also launched a nonprofit called Take on College that mentors first-generation and low-income students in the process of applying to college.

Turner is interested in advancing trajectory optimization, guidance and control algorithms for spaceflight exploration. In his research, he developed a mixed reality tool to better facilitate cislunar trajectory design by enabling users to interact with holograms using manual interaction and visual feedback. During his studies he has led a variety of aerospace project teams, including at NASA’s L’SPACE Academy and at The Aerospace Corp.

Turner was an intern and volunteer Asteroid Ambassador for NASA’s Lucy Mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. He helped host NASA’s inaugural Here to Observe event, which pairs NASA mentors with students from underrepresented backgrounds. He has volunteered for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship’s Buddy Program to mentor an incoming fellow and has tutored students at a predominantly Black elementary school.

Varga aims to become Hungary’s first female aerospace engineer. Her studies at Virginia Tech are focused on system safety and reliability of eVTOLs and spacecraft, including the use of Bayesian belief networks to enable advanced probabilistic modeling and analysis for advanced air mobility. She has interned at Wisk Aero and GE Gas Power.

Varga is passionate about furthering diversity within aerospace and single-handedly established Virginia Tech’s Aerospace Minority Program. She was president of the school’s chapters of Sigma Gamma Tau and the Society of Women in Aviation and Space Exploration. Varga has mentored with the New York Academy of Sciences and visited youth camps throughout Hungary to teach children about aerospace engineering and her personal journey through the industry.

Vargas de Mendonca’s undergraduate research is focused on the intersection between math, physics, aerospace and computer engineering. In the laboratory, he has worked to implement a verified programming language for robots, and he has completed software engineering internships at Microsoft and Amazon.

Vargas de Mendonca was avionics and software lead for the Michigan Aeronautical Science Association, through which he created a subteam focused on automating test data collection and data analysis. As academic chair of Sigma Gamma Tau, he headed the mentoring program, including mentoring five other undergraduate students. Originally from Brazil, he has also volunteered to help Brazilian high school students navigate the college application process.

Waite’s undergraduate research is evaluating the high-temperature mechanical properties of Inconel 718, an additive manufacturing alloy used for such applications as jet and rocket engines. As part of efforts to identify optimal ways to manufacture Inconel 718 components, she is developing testing processes that can overcome the temperature limitations of traditional methods.

Waite has completed internships at The Aerospace Corp., Northrop Grumman, Heron Systems and the FAA’s airport data and airspace branch. As president of Virginia Tech’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, she leads youth outreach, sponsorship and funding efforts. Waite serves as lead tutor for Virginia Tech’s Student Success Center. She earned her private pilot’s license in 2022.

Werneken’s research at Columbia University’s Schiminovich Lab helped develop a new spectrograph to analyze the kinematics of gases in the intergalactic medium of low-redshift galaxies. He went on to lead development and technical planning for Columbia’s first student-led satellite in the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative, which is working on a project inspired by his research. The Lioness (Line Imaging Orbiter for Nanosatellite-Enabled Spectrographic Surveys) project was awarded a fully funded flight by NASA, tentatively scheduled for 2025 or 2026.

As secretary and co-president of the Columbia Space Initiative Executive Board, Werneken doubled weekly meeting attendance and grew the organization’s outreach to more than 1,000 middle school and high school students in New York City. He was also mission director for a team that won NASA’s 2022 Micro-g NExT Challenge.

Westermeyer is passionate about pushing the U.S. aviation industry toward its 2050 net-zero emissions goal, which has inspired his research on vortex energy recovery via formation flight. His research won first prize in the undergraduate category at the AIAA Region 2 Student Conference. He is now working to develop a controller that can autonomously maintain formation flight, which he says has the potential to affect the performance of modern aircraft drastically.

Westermeyer has interned at Area-I and Regent and was chief engineer for the University of Alabama’s Small eVTOL for Remote Sensing design team. In addition to coaching students on design teams, he has served as a coach and counselor in club and intramural ski racing and sailing programs.