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Mechanical Engineering student selected for NASA internship

May 7, 2025 - Carly Bowling

photo: Carldon Pascual

Carldon Pascual, a University of New Mexico senior graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, will intern this summer at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

During the internship, he will work on a project titled “Impact of Thermal Radiation on the Aerospace Ceramic Materials,” to study how ceramic coatings can be used to protect engines as researchers seek to enhance efficiency and create combustion at hotter temperatures. The work is part of an ongoing project investigating how thermal radiation impacts ceramic coatings. The research has applications in high-temperature aerospace applications.

“I really am looking forward to this internship. Ever since I was a kid, I would watch NOVA on PBS and I loved learning about astronomy, celestial objects and exploring space. I thought working for NASA, the government agency in charge of space exploration, would be so cool. I was so excited when I learned I got the internship,” Pascual said.

The 10-week internship begins June 2 and is funded by NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities. During the program, he will have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from experienced NASA researchers in the field of environmental coatings and propulsion systems.

Pascual plans to begin a master’s degree in mechanical engineering next Fall, working with Georgios Koutsakis, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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