As a student in Michigan Tech’s Mechanical Engineering Department and a member of the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team, Emily Fossum has reached for success in the classroom and on the court. She chose Michigan Tech because she was interested in studying engineering and continuing her volleyball career. “Michigan Tech has a strong athletic department and also a strong science and math program,” said Fossum. “It was the perfect match.”

Although it was a challenge to balance her interests in athletics and academics, Fossum says she learned valuable lessons from the experience. “Playing volleyball as a full-time student taught me to stay focused and manage my time,” she explains. Fossum used these skills to earn a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration from Michigan Tech.

A member of the research team for Michigan Tech’s Ion Space Propulsion Lab, Fossum is currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics with a concentration in Energy Thermofluids. Her graduate research focuses on electric propulsion for spacecraft. Fossum describes her work as a fusion of mechanical engineering, physics, and electrical engineering. She considers the opportunity to work with talented Michigan Tech faculty in a variety of fields a huge asset to her research. Fossum says, “The combination of many different disciplines gives me a broad view of my projects.”

In the Ion Space Propulsion Lab, Fossum is studying how to increase the efficiency of ion thrusters so that it will cost less for companies to launch and maintain spacecraft. She is working on innovations that could eventually allow bigger craft to travel deeper into space—making projects such as a manned mission to Mars possible. After earning her PhD from Michigan Tech, Fossum hopes to extend her research at a government laboratory or in commercial industry, with a postdoctoral assistantship. Then she would like to continue her career in aerospace engineering as faculty at a research institution. “I love the university environment,” says Fossum. “There is an energy about universities that is all about learning and moving forward.”