Space Dynamics Laboratory Honors Graduating Utah State Students

Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory recognized 55 employees who are graduating from USU in May during a dinner and reception last night on Innovation Campus in North Logan.

“Every year, SDL recognizes the contributions of our student employees and the role they play in enabling our customers to inspire and achieve breakthroughs in science, technology, aeronautics and space exploration,” said H. Scott Hinton, president of SDL. “The level of energy and enthusiasm our students bring to SDL reminds us all that, while the work we perform to help advance the scientific and defense objectives our country is challenging, it is achievable.”

150 USU student employees work side-by-side with professional engineers, scientists and business leaders at SDL while earning their undergraduate and graduate degrees.  They are an integral part of the SDL’s business and contribute to the lab’s work with the Department of Defense, NASA and industry to provide improved data gathering and analysis tools and powerful remote and in situ sensing solutions.

“Being at SDL has given me wonderful opportunities to work alongside some of the best and brightest individuals in the country,” said Regan Eggli, an USU senior who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. “The lab has unique components to its culture and work that emphasizes teamwork and delivering on commitments. I've been honored to be a small part of a branch within the lab that provides critical technical solutions for our country, and I continue to look forward to contributing to SDL’s mission in defending and protecting our nation and revealing the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

Eggli is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious USU Robins Awards’ Woman of the Year.

The SDL students use what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to real-world applications. The 55 graduating seniors at SDL represent colleges throughout USU and includes disciplines in computer science, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, management information systems, electrical engineering, liberal arts, human development and family studies, business administration, global communications, finance, technology and engineering education, industrial and organizational psychology, computational mathematics and physics. 

“I have had the opportunity to work on a deep space small satellite radio program in the Civil Space branch at SDL,” said student employee Richard Lloyd. “We tested six software defined radios to ensure that they work on orbit as designed.  I wrote scripts for the radios where we used ambient, thermal, and vacuum testing environments. I’ve been able to apply concepts I learned in school to actual hardware and software that will be used in space. SDL has helped me translate academic knowledge into usable skills, which will be essential as I graduate and start my career.”

With its headquarters in North Logan, Utah, SDL has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Bedford, MA; Dayton, OH; Huntsville, AL; Houston; Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. As one of 14 University Affiliated Research Centers, SDL serves as a trusted agent of the U.S. Government and a strategic Department of Defense research center. Last year, research projects awarded to SDL valued more than $100 million. SDL is growing and is currently hiring more than 60 engineers, technicians and business professionals to add to the current workforce of 830 people.