When it comes to engineering, one size does NOT fit all. NASA Glenn Engineer Darcy DeAngelis says that if you like to solve problems, there are many engineering fields that might match your interests and skills.
“I wanted to build spaceships, and the way to do that seemed obvious to me – become a mechanical engineer and build rockets,” said DeAngelis. “I actually got a few years into college before I realized I didn’t actually want to build, but I still wanted to explore. I found system safety engineering, which mixes engineering with communication and systems integration, and it just fit.”
While studying to receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology, DeAngelis landed an internship at NASA Glenn. Today she is a System Safety Engineer for the Artemis Program’s Orion European Service Module and the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element.
“My job is to ensure we have designed our engineering systems with the safety of the crew, vehicle, and mission in mind,” she said. “This involves analyzing and reducing risks and hazards during the design phase and real-time decision-making during flight.”
DeAngelis’s best advice—”Be curious! Ask questions and do your own research, read books about your favorite things and then talk about them! Here’s the truth as I’ve learned it – anyone can be an engineer as long as you have the drive to discover,” she said.
“So many people will emphasize math and science, but it’s all in how you think about problem solving. With safety engineering, I don’t regularly solve calculus equations – but I’ve learned how to think through solutions. Curiosity and creativity are the two most important things you can nurture.”
