Sierra Space
Aerospace leader building next-generation infrastructure for space exploration and commercialization.
Non-Disclosure Agreement: I will only disclose non-proprietary information regarding my work at Sierra Space. All images are publicly available.
Summer Internship
My summer at Sierra Space immersed me in a fast-paced industry environment where I was trusted with a high level of independence and responsibility. This gave me the opportunity to take full ownership of my project, from development through successful implementation.
I developed a method to monitor the thermal state of flight-representative hardware and provide a safeguard from harmful thermal conditions. To ensure continuous hardware protection, I programmed the automated monitoring system for user interface in OpenC3 COSMOS. I tested and validated each script using live telemetry from sensors I configured within a production floor environment. Once validated, I merged my code with the company code base for 24/7 hardware security.
With such little guidance on my project, I learned the value of communicating with others and doing it with confidence. I found incredible success when reaching out to other sub teams, expanding knowledge beyond my own project and providing an understanding of how different systems and teams fit into place.
Part-Time Co-op
Working part time, I support spacecraft development through Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to develop requirements, system models, and architecture diagrams across multiple levels of the program. This work helps organize engineering requirements and maintain consistency across the spacecraft's evolving architecture.
In addition to system modeling, I develop Velocity Template Language (VTL) scripts to generate technical documentation directly from the engineering model. This approach supports a model-centric source of truth, improving consistency between system requirements, engineering models, and program documentation.
“Ryan combines genuine technical curiosity with a deep sense of purpose — he approaches engineering problems not just to solve them, but to contribute to a safer, more sustainable future. He has a rare ability to pair rigorous analytical thinking with the kind of thoughtful, inclusive leadership that makes him someone teams want to work with.”
“Aside from being a friend and a great coworker, Ryan became someone I looked up to at Sierra Space. He is a year older than I am, and over the summer, I learned from his work ethic and drew on his experience as a master’s student and a more experienced engineer to become a better engineer myself.”
“Ryan is a hardworking and dependable teammate who consistently follows through on his commitments and can be counted on to deliver. Ryan excels at being positive and keeping morale high while working through tough challenges and projects. When faced with a problem, Ryan goes above and beyond to find a solution, and he approaches each challenge with creativity and a willingness to take initiative.”