Brooke Owens Fellowship

The Brooke Owens Fellowship[1][2][3] is a non-profit program in the United States that provides paid internships and executive mentorship for undergraduate women seeking a career in aviation or space exploration.[4] The fellowship was created to honor the memory of Brooke Owens, a pilot and space policy expert who died of cancer at the age of 36.[5]

Brooke Owens Fellowship
Awarded forExceptional undergraduate women and gender minority students in aerospace
CountryUnited States
First awarded2017
Last awarded2023
Websitebrookeowensfellowship.org

Motivation and overview

The program looks to improve diversity within the aerospace industry.[6] The program offers students paid summer internships at companies (including SpaceX, Avascent, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Orbital ATK, Virgin Orbit, and Blue Origin), travel stipends and assigned mentors.[7] It was created by Lori Garver, a former NASA deputy administrator, along with aerospace executives William Pomerantz (Virgin Orbit) and Cassie Kloberdanz Lee (Vulcan Inc.).[8]

Fellows received two experienced aerospace mentors, one at their host industry, and another in an associated sector.[9] Mentors include Lori Garver, Diana Trujillo, Charles Bolden, Pamela Melroy, Dava Newman, Danielle Wood, Emily Calandrelli, Will Pomerantz and Cassie Lee.[10] The fellows are connected to a Fellowship class and an alumni network.[9] The program is run with Future Space Leaders, and emphasises creativity.[11] The annual Brooke Owens Fellowship conference happens during the Future Space Conference in Washington, D.C.[11] Whilst the program is open to international students, some institutions can only host US citizens or green card holders.[11][12]

The program's success has resulted in the creation of several spin-off fellowships, including the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, Zed Factor Fellowship, and Zenith Canada Pathways Fellowship.[13]

Alumni

As of 2023, the Brooke Owens Fellowship has 296 alumni across seven cohorts. [14] The alumni span many fields, including engineering, science, policy, journalism, and entrepreneurship.

Inaugural Class of 2017

Sources:[15][16]

References
  1. "Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, selects 19 space-based charities to each receive a $1 million grant". Blue Origin. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. "One Million Reasons to Get Excited". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  3. "Brooke Owens & Patti Grace Smith Fellowships Selected to Jointly Receive $1 Million From Blue Origin's Club for the Future". Brooke Owens Fellowship. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  4. Werner, Debra (22 November 2016). "New fellowship will honor youthful trailblazer | Aerospace America". Aerospace America. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  5. Fernholz, Tim (22 October 2016). "A new space industry fellowship for women aims to address the field's gender inequality". Quartz. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  6. "After Hidden Figures, new program seeks to flood aerospace with women". Ars Technica. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  7. "Our Program". Brooke Owens Fellowship Program. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  8. "36 aerospace women win Brooke Owens Fellowships". GeekWire. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. "2017 Fellowship Application" (PDF). Brooke Owens Fellowship. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  10. "Our Team". Brooke Owens Fellowship Program. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  11. "See how these students got ahead with on-site experience | Aerospace America". Aerospace America. 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  12. "Internship and Mentoring Opportunities for Women: Brooke Owens Fellowship | Department of Political Science | University of Washington". www.polisci.washington.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  13. "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Program. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  14. "Brooke Owens Fellowship Class of 2023". SpaceRef. 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  15. "36 Undergraduate Women Selected As Brooke Owens Fellows, Earning Senior Mentoship and Paid Positions At Leading Aerospace Firms". Brooke Owens Fellowship. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  16. "36 aerospace women win Brooke Owens Fellowships – including one at GeekWire". GeekWire. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
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