Harrison Delecki and Abhishek Khandal will each intern at aerospace companies and receive a full year of professional mentorship

Two aerospace engineering students secured their 2020 summer internships through the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program.

Harrison Delecki
Harrison Delecki 

Harrison Delecki and Abhishek Khandal will both head to California this summer to intern at aerospace companies and begin their year of one-on-one mentorship with an experienced aerospace professional. 

Delecki will intern with the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California in the Navigation and Geoposition Systems department, working on the application of machine learning techniques for space mission development.

The Minnesota native was paired with Pete Worden, chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and former director of the NASA Ames Research Center.

“I am most excited about the opportunity to meet students and industry leaders who are excited about commercial space development. The Isakowitz program has brought together people with extraordinary backgrounds, and I am thrilled to be a part of it,” said Delecki.

At Tech, he's been working with Prof. Brian Gunter on the attitude determination and control system for the Tethering And Ranging mission of the Georgia Institute of Technology (T.A.R.G.I.T) small satellite mission.

“It’s been an excellent opportunity for me to get involved with spacecraft development and has helped me hone my research interests,” said the AE fifth-year.

Abhishek Khandal
Abhishek Khandal

Abhishek Khandal will be working as a structural test engineering intern with The Spaceship Company in Mojave, California.

The New Jersey native was paired with Alan Weston, CEO of LTA Research and former director of programs at NASA Ames.

Though he doesn’t know exactly what he will be doing this summer, he’s excited about the opportunities ahead of him.  

“As a fellow, I’m really excited about the opportunity to meet and network with so many other talented students around the country, and intern at a really cool place,” said Khandal.

At Tech, Khandal has been conducting undergraduate research in the Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory, working with Prof. Tim Lieuwen on studying the behavior of a jet in cross-flow (JICF).

When he’s not researching or studying you can find him exploring Atlanta, mentoring undergraduate students, and competing with the Georgia Tech Motorsports Team.