Local Massachusetts Zonta Clubs of District One recently honored PhD student Chloé Gentgen, this year’s recipient of the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, at a dinner and awards ceremony hosted by the Zonta Club of Chelsea and North Shore.
Chloé presented her work to the audience, detailing her research focus on space systems engineering, mission architecture and the multi-disciplinary optimization applied to deep-space robotic exploration.
Also featured at the event was guest speaker Olivier de Weck, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at MIT, where he is the director of the Engineering Systems Laboratory and Chloé’s graduate advisor. Professor de Weck spoke on the history of exploration predating that of space exploration, demonstrating the complexity of technological systems, their design and how they evolve over time.
“It’s an honor to be her advisor, and talented students like Chloé are the main reason why I’m still at MIT after all these years,” said de Weck.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowship is a Zonta International program. Established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zonta member Amelia Earhart, the $10,000 Fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women internationally pursuing PhD and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. Women who demonstrate a superior academic record conducting research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences are eligible.
Zonta International is a leading global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. For more information, visit zonta.org.
