November 11, 2024
Lauren Edwards ’25 has long admired her father’s career in engineering, and when it came time to chart her own professional course, she was inspired to follow in his footsteps.
Edwards, a triple major in mathematics, computer science and data science with a minor in physics, is bolstering her academic credentials with an internship at SES Space & Defense, a satellite telecommunications provider to government entities worldwide, including the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.
“I thought interning with SES Space & Defense would be a great way to prepare me for the real world,” Edwards said. “It is giving me the opportunity to work with smart professionals and role models who work together as a team to accomplish exceptional things.”
Edwards began her internship in June at the company’s Reston, Virginia, location, and accepted the offer to continue remotely through the fall semester. At SES, Edwards has taken on several projects, including one that requires her to develop a tool to calculate the spectral efficiency of various waveforms for each of the satellite companies SES works with.
“I collected information from companies to create a tool that calculates which satellite’s bandwidths would work best given a specific set of requirements,” Edwards, a native of Woodbridge, Virginia, explained. “I was able to use the information to create a calculator for my company to use, which automatically finds the best solutions given specific values.”
She has also worked on another project that uses NASA STRuctural ANalysis. NASTRAN is a program that performs finite element analysis for a specialized satellite sensor that is designed to monitor coastal and oceanic environments, in support of NASA’s Earth Science program.
“I’ve had to learn about radio frequency communications, orbital dynamics and how all the technical aspects of the satellite’s capability contribute to business development,” Edwards said. “The greatest lesson I have learned while working with SES Space & Defense is how to multitask. I’ve been given several projects, and I must get them all done correctly and on time. It’s made me appreciate working at a fast pace.”
Edwards credits her courses in math and computer science for giving her the knowledge she needs to intern in such a complex and technical field. After graduation, Edwards plans to continue to graduate school to earn a master’s degree in engineering while working with SES or a different company in the STEM field.
“I have been enjoying space, so I may try to stay focused on that field,” she said, “but I also look forward to exploring other paths and opportunities within engineering to see what else I may enjoy.”