When Susanah Kowalewski was a child, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She shared a love of space and a birthday with Sally Ride, so in her mind it was meant to be.
“I realized during middle school that I couldn’t just start as an astronaut; I had to get another job first,” said Kowalewski. “Berea High School offered engineering classes each year, and I discovered that I could become an engineer and still be an astronaut.”
Attending high school less than five miles away from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland only stoked her ambition. She applied for a high school NASA internship and was thrilled to be chosen to work in electrical engineering.
“I was the youngest student,” said Kowalewski. “I had just made the cut because I turned 16 two weeks before the deadline. Most high schoolers were juniors going into their senior year, but I was a sophomore going into my junior year.”
From there, Kowalewski took every NASA internship opportunity available. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Akron while simultaneously working at Glenn through the Pathways program. Kowalewski graduated in 2020 and found herself facing challenges while trying to jump into her career during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t get to participate in a graduation ceremony,” said Kowalewski. “Working from home during the pandemic was more stressful than I expected it to be. Not being able to see anyone or get my hands on the things I was designing right away was really nerve-wracking.”
Things have been much better since Kowalewski was able to return onsite at NASA Glenn. For the past five years, she has been designing the motor controllers for various modifications of the X-57 Maxwell, NASA’s first all-electric aircraft. The cruise motor controllers will be critical for providing power to the X-57’s motors when the aircraft takes to the skies later this year.
“We have a multifacited team,” said Kowalewski. “I design the circuit boards and manage the electrical mechanical integratation. The mechanical, thermal, software, and other electrical engineers and I all work together to test it and put it together.”
Kowalewski designed the circuit boards to be passively cooled through air cooling rather than fluid cooling. This is unique to these designs, as this method is more efficient and saves weight on the aircraft. She also designed motor controllers for multiple configurations of the aircraft.
“We’ve done the whole range on that motor controller. We created concept designs, drew it out on paper, an d tested it,” said Kowalewski. “We continued until we had a final product and sent it out for flight, which was a big accomplishment for us.”
After a decade of experience with NASA Glenn, Kowalewski doesn’t want to be an astronaut anymore. While chasing her dream of becoming the next Sally Ride, she found her true passion in electrical engineering and aerospace.
“Just stay curious,” said Kowalewski. “Find something that interests you — something you’re curious about and will never get tired of learning about — and pursue that. If you go after a job that you feel obligated to or for the money, it won’t feel good later down the road. Whether it’s STEM related or not, find something that makes you curious, and you’ll be happier in the long run.”
NASA is in a Golden Era of aeronautics and space exploration. In partnership with commercial and private businesses, NASA is currently making history with significant missions such as Artemis, X-57 Maxwell, and X-59 Quesst. The NASA’s Modern History Makers series highlights members of NASA Glenn’s workforce who make these remarkable missions possible.
Jacqueline Minerd
NASA’s Glenn Research Center
