Three students earn Amelia Earhart Scholarships
Three aerospace graduate students are recipients of the
The program, open to students worldwide, is recognizing 30 women pursuing doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. The fellowship seeks to expand the number of women in the aerospace industry to reach gender equity.Ìý
The 2025 honorees from Smead Aerospace are PhD students Rachel Cueva, Leah Kiner, and Taylor Lonner.
Zonta International is a global organization of professionals empowering women through service and advocacy. The Fellowship was established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zonta member, Amelia Earhart.
Find out more about our 2025 honorees:
Rachel Cueva
Advisor: Jay McMahon
Lab: Orbital Research Cluster for Celestial Applications (ORCCA)
My research focuses on the long-term dynamical evolution of binary asteroid systems, which make up roughly 15% of both the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) and main-belt populations. IÌýmodel how these systems’ orbital and rotational dynamics evolve and how they respond to external perturbations, such as solar radiation pressure and scattering by outer planet resonances.Ìý
This fellowship means a lot to me because I have been quite fortunate to have had a handful of incredible female role models throughout my academic career. Because of this, I am deeply committed to mentorship and using my platform to support and guide the next generation of women and underrepresented minorities in the field like how my mentors did for me. I am honored to be recognized by the inspiring group of women who make up the Zonta organization, and I look forward to being a part of and contributing to this amazing network of women around the globe. This fellowship will also help support my final year of the PhD, which I am immensely grateful for.Ìý
Leah Kiner
Advisor: Hanspeter Schaub
Lab:
My research focuses on multi-body spacecraft dynamics, with an emphasis on developing general, modular software formulations capable of simulating a wide range of complex spacecraft configurations. My work aims to support spacecraft mission design and analysis by making the process more accessible and efficient.
I'm deeply honored to be selected as an Amelia Earhart Fellow and join an inspiring network of women in the aerospace industry. Receiving this fellowship will allow me to invest in my health and well-being outside of my academic journey pursuing a PhD. This award will support my passion for outdoor hobbies such as rock climbing and trail running, which help me stay balanced in my research.
Taylor LonnerÌý
Advisor: Torin Clark
Lab: Bioastronautics Lab
My research focuses on identifying countermeasures for vestibular dysfunctions experienced throughout spaceflight using ground-based analogs. ÌýMy work has uncovered promising routes by which we could reduce terrestrial readaptation motion sickness, and has informed updated modeling efforts to track orientation misperceptions of astronauts in real time.
Amelia Earhart was a pioneer in aviation and, today, serves as an inspiration for women in the aerospace engineering field. It is my hope that the work I am accomplishing throughout my PhD – assisted by this fellowship – will not only advance our understanding of how humans are impacted by spaceflight but will also lay the groundwork for the next generation of women scholars in aerospace. I am honored to join a cohort of remarkable women who are equally passionate about supporting women – internationally – in this diverse and challenging field.
