Engineering

From Berks to the Moon, student completing internship at Space X

Matthew Woods, a senior Mechanical Engineering major who began his studies at Penn State Berks and was part of the Penn State Lunar Lion Team, is currently a propulsion intern at Space X in Los Angeles. His internship began in January 2015.

In this position, Woods is applying 3-D printing principles to design and build rockets, specializing in metal printing of high performance alloys to print rocket components. SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

Woods states that he was first introduced to 3-D printing in the Penn State Berks Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center while he was a student at college. “The education I received at Penn State Berks has laid the foundation for where I am today,” he explains.

He continued to pursue his interest in 3-D printing and engineering by joining Penn State University’s Lunar Lion Team as the Additive Manufacturing Lead. There he used a 3-D printer to help construct one of the Lunar Lion Team's rocket engines. The team hopes to launch a rocket in 2017 and inspire a new wave of incoming students. For his work on the Lunar Lion Team, Woods received the Boeing Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Junior Award, which recognizes high achieving mechanical engineering students with an interest in aerospace. 

Woods plans to graduate in December 2015 and hopes to pursue a career with Space X in the field he was introduced to while a student at Penn State Berks.

Last Updated February 19, 2015