Sam Nadol ‘24

Why did you pursue this project?
Hello, I’m Sam, and I’m in my first year of ISRP, in my sophomore year. My topic is rocket engines and how they can be made more efficient. I’ve always been interested in space, but over the past years, I’ve been watching rocket launches by all the governments and companies around the world. That is what got me interested in rockets in general, and I just picked engines as a specific focus because that’s where I thought the most innovation was happening. So far, I’ve read a bunch of papers on current research about rockets (namely about a new type of engine that has the potential to be up to 25% more efficient) to get an idea of what’s going on, and hopefully this summer, I will be able to contribute to the field by doing research with a mentor.