Kaylee C. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Hi! My name is Kaylee Cornelius, and I am a recent Harvard grad who is now living in D.C. I have LOVED math and science since elementary school which is why I ended up studying electrical engineering in college. Since high school, I have been very involved with organizations that support minorities in STEM, like the National Society of Black Engineers. During the summer before my junior year of high school, I interned at the Georgia Tech Research Institute where she worked with a team of 5 other aspiring engineers to create a Heat Exhaustion Monitoring System embedded into a hard hat. I have worked on a ton of personal projects (everything from robotics to circuit design) throughout the years, so I have the most experience in science subjects and computer science. For my senior thesis, I worked with other students on a project supporting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s manufacturing of Europa Clipper, a spacecraft intent on studying the inner structure of Europa for signs of life. One of Europa Clipper’s primary instruments, REASON or (Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface), requires calibration while en route to Jupiter, so I helped design the power system that will allow a CubeSat to calibrate REASON during flight. I would not have been able to complete any projects without lots of help from teachers and mentors along the way, so I am very excited to be a mentor for Curious Cardinals so that I can help others learn, grow, and innovate too. I am extremely passionate about climate issues and the renewable energy sector (i.e. how we will get to net zero) is what interests me the most at this moment, but I also love coding for personal projects during my free time. For fun, I enjoy reading 📚 and playing golf 🏌🏾‍♀️!