Cavale, a fourth-year undergraduate student, became interested in aerospace through his passion for photography and drones. In high school, he earned his commercial drone flying license. At the dinner table, he and his family discussed things they watched on the Science Channel or Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. He also read many books on astronomy and astrophysics growing up.

“I’ve always been interested in aerospace, but I thought, instead of taking photos from the ground, why not take them from the air?” he said.

The Philadelphia native came to Georgia Tech because it was a research institution and one of the top engineering schools in the nation, and he wanted to explore another part of the country. The School of Aerospace Engineering offers excellent opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in hands-on research. He works in the Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) with Professor Glenn Lightsey, who has mentored and guided him. He also recently joined the High-Power Electric Propulsion Lab (HPEPL) led by Professor Mitchell Walker.

Cavale is very excited that the Georgia Tech chapter has brought high-profile companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX to engage AE students and offer them opportunities and insights. The former GT AIAA President, Andrew Morell, AE 2022, inspired Cavale to pursue his doctoral studies. He is paying it forward by mentoring his peers and encouraging them to explore.

He plans on pursuing his Ph.D. to teach and conduct research. He has gotten great practice as a TA for math and as a mentor in the Yang Aero Maker Space. He isn’t exactly sure what his focus will be, but he is passionate about deep space. He wants to look at astrodynamics in guidance and navigation and control, designing interplanetary trajectories and orbital debris. He is also very interested in electric propulsion.

“Connect with people outside the classroom and break that boundary early on. Suppose you don’t know what interests you; reach out to your professors or upper-level students. Learn outside of the classroom in clubs and by doing research to figure out what you want to concentrate on in terms of fields. I’ve been doing that for the past year, but I wish I had started in my first year,” he shared.

Ethan Traub came to Tech from Baltimore, Maryland, with a passion for the environment. He started out wanting to be an environmental engineer in high school but soon learned that he couldn’t get as much accomplished in that field as he’d hoped. He cares about improving life on Earth, improving the efficiencies of engines, and reducing pollution. He not only wants to save the planet, but he wants to find out if he can make space habitable.

“I used to say there is no planet B, but now I’m saying, well, let’s make one,” Traub stated.

Currently, the third-year undergraduate works in the SSDL with Professor Lightsey. Traub is exploring the different aspects of aerospace and believes it is a process of elimination. For example, he interned in his first year, at a small company in Huntsville that does helicopter health and usage monitoring. He realized that he wasn’t interested in pursuing that area. This past summer, he took classes doing research in the SSDL, which better aligned with his future goals. He received hands-on experience in a clean room environment using a thermal vacuum chamber performing thrust and specific impulse measurements on the SWARM-EX and VISORS satellite propulsion systems.

“I’m now the go-to person to balance the thrust stand and quick disconnects for fueling in our group,” he shared.

Traub is also in the BS/MS Program and has another year to complete. He is taking advantage of all of the opportunities he can.

He offers new students the following suggestions: "Try everything, but don’t stick to everything. Find out what you like and focus on that to become great at it,” Traub shared. “I remember my first year in AE1601, going into Professor Zaidi’s office to ask about research opportunities I could pursue as a first-year. I started in the Combustion Lab, and I’m still figuring out what I enjoy doing.”