Our Officers 2021-2022

Katie Hart, President

Mechanical Engineering ’24

Katie Hart is a sophomore at Duncan College majoring in Mechanical Engineering and pursuing a certificate in Engineering Leadership. From San Antonio, she enjoys reading books, playing flute, and going on adventures with friends in her free time. Her passion for aerospace began as a child, laying the backyard, gazing at the stars, something she still loves to do! As President of SEDS, Katie works to foster the development of the aerospace community at Rice and connect students with opportunities both on campus and beyond the hedges.

Nancy Lindsey, Vice President

Mechanical Engineering ’24

Nancy is a sophomore at Rice University pursuing a BS in Mechanical Engineering with minors in Engineering Design and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and a certificate in French. She is a Lab Assistant at Rice’s makerspace, the OEDK, and enjoys engineering design projects and prototyping. Nancy also hopes to attend graduate school and focus on aerospace engineering

Alan Scherman, Outreach Chair

Mechanical Engineering ’22

Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Alan is a senior at Baker College studying towards a B.S. Mechanical Engineering degree and the RCEL Engineering Leadership Certificate. As Outreach Chair, Alan strives to expand our chapter’s aerospace network and bring industry guests to participate in annual SEDS events such as the Owls in Space Symposium. He believes he can leverage his experience of building his professional network from square one to help Rice’s aerospace community do the same. Alan developed an interest in aerospace upon realizing the unique powers of uniting and inspiring that aerospace has on all people. In his spare time from classes and jobs, Alan enjoys playing intramural soccer, reading classics, and watching Formula 1.

Max Bowman, Secretary

Electrical and Computer Engineering ’23

SEDS secretary Max Aksel Bowman is a junior from Martel College studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Max’s passion for space began early with trips to the Adler Planetarium. Max fills his time with a combination of schoolwork, fencing, and academic research. He is excited to help promote the SEDS mission of expanding the exploration of space disciplines on campus.

Juan De La Garza, Projects Chair

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering ’22

Our Projects Chair, Juan De La Garza is a junior from McMurtry College pursuing Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a certificate in the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. He is from Corpus Christi, Texas and his passion for aerospace lies in the innovation of propulsion systems. Juan works towards furthering Rice’s involvement and prodigious legacy in the space industry through SEDS-Rice. He aspires to play an integral role in advancing space exploration technology in order to learn more about humankind’s place among the stars.

Justin Lee, Events Chair

Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science ’24

Justin Lee is a freshman at Lovett College interested in mechanical engineering and computer science. He has always found space to be such a beautiful and profound place—he aspires to be part of the effort to bring space and our world closer by making space flight cheaper and more accessible. In his free time, he enjoys playing ping-pong in the commons, playing tennis, and reading short stories and webcomics online. He is excited for the opportunity to put on fun and exciting events for SEDS Rice!

Our Project Leads 2021-2022

OwlSat CubeSat

Douglas Steinbach, Project Lead

Materials Science and NanoEngineering PhD

Doug Steinbach is pursuing a PhD in materials science and nanoengineering. He obtained his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida. He is the co-project lead and mechanical lead of the Owls’ cube satellite. In these roles, he is both overseeing the completion of the project and designing the structure of the satellite. When he isn’t in the research lab or working on the Owlsat you’ll find him exercising, spending time with friends, or calling his girlfriend. He intends to work in the private space industry after completing his PhD and before returning to academia to teach.

Hoik Jang, Head Science Advisor

Space Studies/MBA

Hoik Jang is on coordinated degree on Space Studies and MBA as graduate student. He majored in Mechanical Engineering in Chung-Ang University in South Korea and he was a developer for a new user interface for CAD which used wireless physical blocks to build CAD models which allows easy access to designers. He also served U.S. Army in Korea(KATUSA) as an interpreter and analyst. He has watched the ‘Apollo 13’ dozens of times that lead him into space industry. He would like to lower the entry barrier to space industry for many people around the world developing a platform for them.

Human Exploration Rover

Emily Ellison, Project Co-Lead

Mechanical Engineering ’23

Emily is a rising sophomore from Sid Richardson majoring in Mechanical engineering. Born and raised in Houston, Emily has always been fascinated with space. She also loves to design and build anything. Whether a project involves welding, kitting, wood working, painting, or CAD designing she enjoys picking up new skills and creating new things. She’s excited by the unlimited potential for learning and innovation in the space industry. Emily hopes to one day make a contribution to the future of space exploration. In her free time Emily can be found tinkering away on a random side project or in the OEDK designing and building puzzles for the Rice Escape Club’s escape rooms. As the lead for the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, she’s excited for the opportunity to tackle a fun design challenge and to compete in the upcoming competition with teams from other universities.

The Leadership Team