ABIGAIL REIGNER: FIRST NATIONS LAUNCH

This week NYSG is highlighting Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) student Abigail Reigner. Abigail is a fifth year in Mechanical Engineering, and she is one of few students at RIT that are part of the Comanche Nation. Abigail and her six teammates received acceptance into the 15th Annual First Nations Launch Competition. This award is given to only a few dozen student rocketry teams across the United States. First Nations Launch is hosted by NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WISGC) every year. This competition is an opportunity for students attending a Tribal College or University (TCU), a Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), or active collegiate members of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) to design, build, and fly a high-powered rocket to be launched at a competition at the Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Kansasville, WI.

 Abigail is very familiar with NASA as she has been interning at NASA Centers like the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California since her freshman year. During her time at RIT, Abigail has spent a lot of time on the RIT Formula SAE Racing Team working as the suspension engineer on the electric car team.  After working on the RIT Formula SAE Racing Team, Abigail set her sights on the First Nations Launch to complete her multidisciplinary senior design project. Her preparation for this launch will take a substantial portion of her time and energy as she finishes her last year of school. 

 Abigail has anticipated being a part of the First Nations Launch competition since her arrival at RIT.  Considering the small amount of Native American students in the College of Engineering, Abigail was excited to propose this as a project and work on it with other Native American students. Abigail and her team are most excited about the outreach component of this competition. They plan on creating an outreach program with full-time RIT staff member Kendall Scott, Director of the Native American Future Stewards Program, for kids living on the Cattaraugus Reservation. RIT has been known to have successful STEM education programs for Native Americans, and Abigail is excited to be a part of that great programming history to continue to promote Native American participation in STEM. 

Abigail plays an integral role on her team as the Project Team Lead. Her responsibilities are not only tied to designing the rocket and building the recovery system for the rocket. The team also trust her ability to lead the project. The First Nations Launch will bring many challenges, but Abigail and her team have more than enough brainpower to overcome their challenges. With Abigail leading the charge, the team will most certainly make necessary deadlines to have their rocket launch ready in April.