Kim Ennix

While in college, I spent alternate quarters working as a Co-op in different fields of engineering. Since my degree was in Mechanical Engineering, my first Co-op experience was working at the Soddy-Daisy Nuclear Plant in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, testing the turbo-machinery. I really enjoyed my first job as a student engineer; however, I knew by the end of the quarter that pure "mechanical engineering" work was not for me. I also knew that I was more interested in airplanes and rockets so I was determined that all of the following co-op terms I received would be aerospace type work. With that in mind, I did a little searching and found a research and development company that had work for Co-ops at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Wow! I was off and running. After the first term I knew this was the type of engineering for me. I worked two terms at NASA Marshall. Both terms I spent integrating payloads into the Space Shuttle pallet. Then, a strange thing happened. I heard about an organization that had internships available for students to work overseas. Well, it didn't take long for me to find the same kind of aerospace work in Europe. So I applied and was accepted as a summer student at the National Aerospace Laboratories in Amsterdam, Netherlands. That was the greatest work experience a student could ever have. (For those of you who are wondering, no I did not have to learn Dutch even though I do speak German.) I often find myself advising students that if they ever get a chance to work abroad and in the field of work that they love, don't wait or pause or hesitate one moment, just apply!!! They will not regret it. After all of my co-op experiences, I knew that aerospace research and development was the career for me.

The great thing about research and development is all of the different types of projects you can work on. Believe me it is pretty hard to get bored in this job. There are always new technologies to work with and develop first hand. As I have stated earlier, I work in the Propulsion and Performance Branch and I have worked on several programs during my time here at Dryden. I will only mention a few. I performed flight test studies on the acoustic effects of jet engines. I primarily looked at the F-404 engine on an F-18 aircraft. I also was able to take acoustic measurements on other aircraft, such as the F-16, F-15, SR-71, and yes even the Space Shuttle. I was the principle investigator for the Fiber Optic Control System Integration (FOCSI) Sensors. This was a very interesting program in that I was responsible for installing 9 tag-along fiber optic sensors in an F-404 engine and flight testing them. The goal was to prove how well the fiber-optic sensor performed when compared to the standard production sensors. I was the principle engineer for Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Oxygen Sensors. These sensors were safety critical sensors for the LASRE program. I was responsible for taking these sensors and ground testing them before installing them on the LASRE. Once installed, the whole system was flight tested on the SR-71 aircraft. Another program that I especially enjoyed was the Pilot Alert System (PAS). This was basically a laser that was mounted under the wing of an F-18 airplane. The job of this laser was to let the pilot know when condensation trails form from the back of the airplane while in flight. I especially enjoyed this program because I was able to fly in the chase plane behind the test F-18 and observe the data during the flight. Now that is research!

In each of these programs, I was responsible for installing the experiment, completing a ground test, taking the data from the flight test, analyzing these data, dismantling the project, and writing technical papers to document the research and results. Oh! Did I also mention having to present my findings at technical conferences? All of the above requires proficiency in several computer languages and an ability to work (usually at the same time) on different types of computers. I typically go back and forth between a Macintosh and a PC, a SUN workstation and a Silicon Graphics workstation. I must be familiar with over 30 types of computer applications and languages including DOS, and Unix. I am also called upon to write computer code. Then of course there is word processing. Can we ever get away from word processing? The test and final data that I analyze would have very little impact if I did not write up my findings and present them. Over the years I have worked on almost a dozen projects, written 22 technical papers and have presented my work in almost as many conferences. Like I said this is far from boring!

I grew up in Oakland, California, with my parents and my brother and 2 sisters. I have always loved mathematics and science, which is strange, because when I left high school I thought that I wanted to be an artist. I even applied to art school. Interestingly enough, I was not accepted into art school, but I was accepted into engineering school. Now, is that a twist or what? I am blessed to have a very supportive family. They don't quite understand what it is that I do, but they are nevertheless very supportive. They especially like the tours of NASA.

My hobbies include dancing, hiking, and painting. My favorite hobby is painting. (You see I could not leave my art background completely behind.) I speak several languages. My family has lived in many countries throughout Europe, and I picked up the different languages as they moved around. In my spare time, I tutor math and chemistry, and I visit schools to spread the word about how much fun engineering can be.

I have been very fortunate to have a lot of people encouraging me throughout the years. I have a lot of self-motivation and determination and I never let myself get discouraged when an obstacle confronts me. And if there is one thing I could tell any young lady coming up through school that would be to take the word ÒcanÕtÓ out of her vocabulary! With a lot of determination, anything is possible.