Matthew Werneken: The Spirit of LIONESS

This week NYSG is highlighting Columbia University student Matthew Werneken. Matthew is a senior in the mechanical engineering department, and he plans to complete a fifth year of studies in astronomy. Matthew is also a member of the largest student organization on campus, Columbia Space Initiative (CSI). The CSI has over 200 active members that do everything from rocketry to NASA challenges. His work with the CSI CubeSat Team, or LIONESS, is what lead him to apply and earn a New York Space Grant (NYSG) Opportunity Grant for his team of about 30 students. 

Matthew and his friend Bruno have helped revive the CSI CubeSat Team as the pandemic put a damper on its progress. The pandemic causes many students to lose contact with the project. However, Matthew and Bruno decided to restart the mission early 2023. With dedication and determination to revive this program, they were able to build a new team of students that were interested in doing satellite engineering. With the study growth of their mission, the LIONESS team has been approved to launch by NASA by 2027, as well as proposing for additional funding to improve the science capabilities of their CubeSat. 

According to Matthew, the NYSG has been tremendously helpful, particularly in getting students early hands-on experience with technologies that are going to be incorporated in the science as well as just general prototyping of the mission. He also mentioned the NYSG Opportunity Grant has allowed for greater student development and education for the students to get as familiar with the mission as possible. They took this opportunity to buy extra needed parts, and teach students how to work machinery, assemble parts, and create concepts for a mock CubeSat. Matthew explained that this mock payload will represent the science aspects that will be built in the coming years and allow students more hands-on experience. Ultimately, this mock CubeSat will help future students know how to continue this mission once Bruno, Matthew, and others are graduated.  

The NYSG Opportunity Grant has been particularly valuable to the LIONESS mission because the funds are dedicated to supporting student involvement and not necessarily tied to delivering science results. That means Matthew and the LIONESS team were given an opportunity for the students to build out their portfolios and valuable experience to include in their interviews. Many times, undergraduate, upon graduation, are seeking jobs, seeking graduate program admissions, and other opportunities. Hands-On experience on a project this intricate typically helps students the most in their search. Matthew and the seven other members of leadership have expressed the importance of this support numerous times. 

It is well noted that this mission has helped many students develop skills that they never would have thought possible. CSI has created an abundance of opportunity for students interested in subjects such as earth science, aerospace engineering, and many more. The best part about this program is that students from all majors are welcome to join this organization. Matthew expressed the greatest strength of the LIONESS team is the diversity in thought and people have made this program something to remember. He noted that each student bringing a different skillset to this mission has allowed them to gain much of their success with NASA and beyond. 

Lastly, LIONESS has a strong outreach community outreach portion of their project. Matthew stated that this was a large inspiration for their launch. Matthew and his group collaborate with a nonprofit called Sophie Gerson Healthy Youth. They are the logistical partners for CSI getting in front of middle school students in New York City. CSI and LIONESS support underrepresented middle schoolers and teach them about space science and engineering. LIONESS is building a new curriculum to support inner city students that will roll out in the next year or two that will directly impact 400 plus students annually. The end goal of this is to inspire a diverse array of students to get involved with STEM and enroll at Columbia in the future. 

With much of the work Matthew is doing, he is very busy working on the LIONESS project. He believes this experience gained from receiving the NYSG Opportunity Grant is invaluable. Surprisingly enough, Matthew decided to extend his time in undergrad to support this project and complete his astronomy curriculum. Because of his love for this project, he plans to pursue a PhD in Astrophysics with a special focus on Instrumentation and Aerospace Engineering. Matthew continues to be a game changer not only at Columbia but in his greater community. The future is looking bright for Matthew Werneken.