On-Demand Recording Available
In this seminar, Ivett Leyva, Ph.D., P.E. will describe her remarkable career journey, which has led her to study various fluid mechanics problems, as well as the challenges and rewards of holding management and leadership positions. She will discuss topics related to preventing rocket explosions, including the construction of hazardous facilities for testing rocket propulsion and enhancing the scientific understanding of hypersonic flight. Leyva will also share insights from two hypersonic flight experiments she initiated at the Air Force, along with the portfolio she managed. Finally, she will conclude with her experiences as department head and her current efforts to establish a new research enterprise aimed at addressing applied research challenges from industry while tailoring graduates to meet industry needs.
The Mary Jackson Named Lecture is given in honor of Mary Jackson (1921–2005), who became the first black female aerospace engineer at NASA in 1958. The lecture is jointly sponsored by the Royal Aeronautical Society and AIAA.
Speaker:
Ivett A. Leyva, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Dean for Research, Fort Worth Campus, College of Engineering. Arthur McFarland Professor, Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M Fort Worth
Carissa Christensen
Carissa Bryce Christensen is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of BryceTech, LLC, based in Alexandria, VA. She previously co-founded defense contractor The Tauri Group, acquired by LMI in 2019, and quantum computing software firm QxBranch, acquired by Rigetti Computing in 2019. She is an active tech investor and has served on several early-stage boards. Ms. Christensen is an internationally recognized expert on the satellite and space industry, known for rigorous analysis and innovative, data-driven strategy. She is a Senior Advisor to the annual US Space Force Schriever Wargame. She serves on the Senior Advisory Council of the Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy, serves on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Space, and chairs the US board of the UN-affiliated Space Generation Advisory Council. She is a founding member of the Future Space Leaders Foundation and chairs its Advisory Board. Ms. Christensen previously served on the National Research Council Space Technology Industry-Government-University Roundtable, which advises NASA, and served on the Space Committee of the Defense Innovation Board. Ms. Christensen is a Harvard Business School Entrepreneur-in-Residence. She guest lectures at universities including Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. She has testified before Congress and Parliament committees on the space industry. She publishes extensively, is often cited by major media outlets, and has appeared in commercial space documentaries by The Financial Times, Bloomberg and HBO.