Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Senior 2024: Spencer Macturk

My name Spencer Macturk. I'm originally from Richmond Virginia, and I'm graduating in spring of 2024 with my mechanical engineering degree. So during my undergrad career, I've completed five different internships and co-ops, that's pushed me to a five year degree plan, but I think it was really worth it because I've been able to not only get the experience that I can apply outside the classroom, but it really prepared me for life after college because I was able to see what I do and don't like during my undergrad, I'll be going to SpaceX in Los Angeles, California full time. I'll be working on the added manufacturing team for the Raptor engine. So basically 3D printing the giant components for the futuristic engine for the SpaceX starship vehicle interned there this past summer. I'm really excited to get back there this summer full time with the team. Actually, my advisor, Sarah Deisher was the one who got me the internship this past summer. It was a former outstanding senior in mechanical engineering that was working on the additive manufacturing team for Raptor, that she put me in contact with and said, Hey, this guy is looking to get back there and got me in front of the manager and worked in the summer, going back there full time. So just Hokies hire Hokies the best thing for me to say, and you might hear it a bunch at orientation or throughout your time here. But from my experience, it really rings true. So during my undergrad career, I was part of the Orbital Launch Vehicle Team or OLVT, and it's an undergraduate design team here, at Virginia Tech with the long-term goal to put a five kilogram payload into low earth orbit. It's a pretty ambitious goal. So right now, we're trying to get to the Kármán line, which is 100 kilometers above the Earth surface, which is the definition of space. We've had some successes, and we've had some failures. But it's been really instrumental for applying not only my outside the classroom experiences at, like, internships and the coops, but being able to do that here locally at a great design space with a great team with fellow mechanical and aerospace engineers. It's just a great experience for me. The opportunities at SpaceX are going to be awesome. I'm really excited to get out there because they got a nice launch site just north of the city. So I'll be able to see some cool amateur High-powered rockets myself. But at Spacex, just being able to apply what I've done here at Virginia Tech on this orbital launch vehicle team on something just a tad bit bigger is just a dream come true.