Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship[1][2][3] is a non-profit program in the United States that provides paid internships, scholarships, and executive mentorship to exceptional Black undergraduate students seeking a career in aerospace.[4][5] The fellowship is named after Patricia Grace Smith, a United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official whose regulatory work helped lay the foundations for commercial spaceflight.[6] The program was founded in her honor in 2020.[7]

Patti Grace Smith Fellowship
Founded2020
FoundersB. Alvin Drew, Jr.
Khristian Jones
Tiffany R. Lockett
William Pomerantz
FocusAerospace Engineering
Location
Area served
United States
Websitewww.pgsfellowship.org

Motivation and overview

The Patti Grace Smith Program seeks to connect exceptional Black students with the resources needed to begin their careers in aerospace, with the goal of increasing the visibility, participation, and retention of Black students in order to diversify the historically homogeneous aerospace industry.[8][9]

This program's mission is directly inspired by Smith, who at age 16 served as a plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that integrated public schools in Alabama.[10] She graduated from Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in 1969 and went on to work for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, U.S. Department of Defense, and the Federal Communications Commission. Smith joined the Office of Commercial Space Transportation and rose to the position of Chief of Staff and then to Associate Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).[11][12] She was appointed by President Obama to serve on the NASA Advisory Council and the advisory board of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.[13]

Smith fostered the growth of the nascent commercial space industry through deregulation, with the construction of the Mojave Air & Space Port and 2004 flight of SpaceShipOne occurring under her tenure. According to Elon Musk, Smith "helped lay the foundations for a new era in American spaceflight.”[14]

The fellowship was founded by NASA Astronaut B. Alvin Drew, Virgin Galactic engineer Khristian Jones, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center lead engineer Tiffany R. Lockett, and Virgin Orbit Vice President William Pomerantz in 2020.[15] It is closely modeled after the Brooke Owens Fellowship.

The program offers students their first paid summer internship at top space companies (including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, etc.),[16] travel stipends, and mentorship from notable Black aerospace leaders, including former NASA administrators (e.g. Charles Bolden), astronauts (e.g. Robert Curbeam), academics (e.g. Daniel E. Hastings), and company executives.[17] Fellows are also paired with peer mentors[18] and are flown out to the annual summit in Washington, D.C. to network and meet industry leaders.

Alumni

As of 2022, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship has 111 alumni across three cohorts hailing from 50+ different universities, including Ivy League colleges, HBCUs, community colleges, and major public universities.[19][20]

Each year, hundreds of students from around the United States apply.[21] Approximately forty are selected through a holistic evaluation of merit, passion for aerospace, and community involvement.[22] This is done primarily by means of interviews and essay responses, with academic achievement and volunteer activities also weighted. Finalists are matched with host companies, who independently conduct interviews and award offers.[23]

Inaugural Class of 2021

[46]

Class of 2022

[47]

Class of 2023

[48]

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. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  4. "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Created to Empower Black Aerospace Students - Via Satellite -". Via Satellite. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  6. "Patti Grace Smith". Space Foundation. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  7. "Our History". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  8. "Our Philosophy". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  9. "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship 2021 Black and African-American Students". Amas Informs. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  10. "Lee v. Macon County Board of Education". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  11. Roberts, Sam (8 June 2016). "Patti Grace Smith, Champion of Private Space Travel, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  12. "Patti Grace Smith, 1947-2016". Women in Aerospace. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  13. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  14. Roberts, Sam (8 June 2016). "Patti Grace Smith, Champion of Private Space Travel, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  15. "Our Founders". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  16. "Our Employers". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  17. "Our Executive Mentors". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  18. "Our Near-Peer Mentors". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  19. "PRESS RELEASE: 43 EXTRAORDINARY UNDERGRADUATES SELECTED FOR THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF PATTI GRACE SMITH FELLOWS" (PDF). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  20. "39 Exceptional Undergrads Earn Prestigious Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, Bringing More Black Excellence to Aerospace". First Mode. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  21. "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". ocs.fas.harvard.edu. Harvard University. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  22. "Patti Grace Smith Award | American Astronautical Society". American Astronautical Society (AAS). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  23. Jeremiah, Israel Wellington (7 October 2020). "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship 2020-2021 for Black and African-American Students Interested in Aerospace". Latest Global Opportunities. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  24. "Meet Outstanding Intern & Patti Grace Smith Fellow, Alina A. | Sierra Nevada Corporation | SNC". www.sncorp.com. Sierra Nevada Corporation. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  25. "Five Tech students received the inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, providing access to prestigious internships and mentoring in aerospace | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering". www.me.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology - Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  26. "Two UCF Aerospace Students Receive Fellowship's First Awards -". mae.ucf.edu. University of Central Florida. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  27. "Two UCF Aerospace Students Receive Fellowship's First Awards -". mae.ucf.edu. University of Central Florida. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  28. "Five Tech students received the inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, providing access to prestigious internships and mentoring in aerospace | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering". www.me.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology - Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  29. "UMD Aero Students Awarded Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". eng.umd.edu. University of Maryland - College Park. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  30. "UMD Aero Students Awarded Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". eng.umd.edu. University of Maryland - College Park. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  31. "Five Tech students received the inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, providing access to prestigious internships and mentoring in aerospace | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering". www.me.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology - Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  32. "Penn State Engineering: Aerospace engineering undergraduate joins inaugural Patti Grace Smith class". news.engr.psu.edu. Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  33. "39 Exceptional Undergrads Earn Prestigious Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, Bringing More Black Excellence to Aerospace". First Mode. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  34. "Schenectady grad earns spot in new national aerospace scholarship program". dailygazette.com. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  35. "Spark! Fellow Ready to Soar | BU Spark!". www.bu.edu. Boston University. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  36. "Student Megan Jordan selected for inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". The University of Alabama in Huntsville. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  37. "39 Exceptional Undergrads Earn Prestigious Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, Bringing More Black Excellence to Aerospace". First Mode. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  38. Duncan, Kelsey. "UAH student Megan Jordan selected for inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". www.waff.com. University of Alabama, Huntsville. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  39. "UMD Aero Students Awarded Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". eng.umd.edu. University of Maryland - College Park. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  40. "Five Tech students received the inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, providing access to prestigious internships and mentoring in aerospace | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering". www.me.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology - Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  41. "Ciarra Ortiz '19 Awarded Patti Grace Smith Fellowship | John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School, Home of the Gaels". John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  42. "Five Tech students received the inaugural Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, providing access to prestigious internships and mentoring in aerospace | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering". www.me.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology - Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  43. SENTINEL, SPECIAL TO THE. "DCHS grad Jovanna Patterson named a Patti Grace Smith Fellow". Douglas County Sentinel. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  44. Claremont, Pomona College Mailing Address: 333 N. College Way (23 March 2021). "Anaelle Roc '24 Awarded Patti Grace Smith Fellowship to Pursue Aerospace Career". Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  45. "Aerospace Careers Get a Boost at Draper". Draper Laboratory. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  46. "PRESS RELEASE: 43 EXTRAORDINARY UNDERGRADUATES SELECTED FOR THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF PATTI GRACE SMITH FELLOWS" (PDF). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  47. "39 Exceptional Undergrads Earn Prestigious Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, Bringing More Black Excellence to Aerospace". First Mode. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  48. Cowing, Keith (27 January 2023). "The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Welcomes 31 Fellows in Most Competitive Class To Date". SpaceRef. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
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