Alexander Ramos, a mechanical engineering major with a minor in geophysics at the 91视频, was accepted into the prestigious NASA Pathways Internship Program. The competitive program is paid, serving as a direct pipeline to permanent employment at NASA upon graduation, and requires participants to complete three multi-department work tours.
Ramos is utilizing his geophysics minor within the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) to complement his technical engineering background. For his minor and supported by a SURF fellowship, Ramos conducts research in the lab led by Julia Wellner, associate dean and professor of glacial and marine geology. His research analyzes Antarctic glacial dynamics by evaluating sediment grain shapes, a metric that helps scientists categorize past weathering patterns, and predict future glacial movements.
鈥淢echanical engineering gives you a really solid foundation of how things work, and that background is very applicable to Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,鈥� said Ramos. He hopes to transition into planetary science roles during one of his NASA tours in the future.
An Unconventional Path
Ramos鈥檚 path to higher education was anything but traditional. After graduating from high school in 2014, he served six years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear operator, including three years aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan as a maintenance supervisor.
Following his military service, Ramos participated in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars Program, where he led a student team that designed a theoretical lunar greenhouse project for the Artemis program. Inspired by the experience, he moved to University of Houston in 2024 to pursue his degree, joining Wellner鈥檚 lab to gain crucial research experience. An engineering major combined with a geophysics minor is not very common. And, combining work in a sedimentology lab with a geophysics major is not all that common, either. However, each of the skills developed in these disparate areas is building the broad scientific background needed for a successful career in space exploration, something Ramos is aiming for.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think failures define you; you鈥檙e defined by how you get back up,鈥� said Ramos. 鈥淣ot giving up is one of the most important things I鈥檝e ever done.鈥�