Michael L. Sarafin '94 is the lead shuttle flight director for the Atlantis space shuttle mission STS-122 that launched from Kennedy Space Center in February 2008.

While a student at Clarkson, Sarafin took a co-op job at Johnson Space Center, leading to a position, after graduation, as a space shuttle software engineer. He became a guidance, navigation and control officer in 1995, supporting 30 shuttle flights in Mission Control, and was named a flight director in 2005.

"The opportunity to work at NASA as part of the co-op program and the engineering knowledge I accumulated at Clarkson provided the foundation for my career at NASA. All those hours spent studying engineering and poring over physics and structural dynamics at Clarkson really paid off."

Aeronautical Engineering careers include tasks ranging from airframe design, wind tunnel testing, engine design and testing, and flight testing of new vehicles, to the design of airliner cabin comfort systems. Career opportunities exist with large companies, such as Lockheed-Martin, Pratt and Whitney, Boeing, B.F. Goodrich, General Dynamics, and General Electric. Or, you may prefer a smaller company, such as Cessna or Bombardier Aerospace, or a career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The placement rate for Clarkson engineers is one of the nation's highest. U.S. News ranks Clarkson in its 2008 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools whose highest degree is a Ph.D. Our graduates are sought both for their strong technical skills and their versatility. A Clarkson engineering education builds your abilities in teamwork, management, communication and creative problem solving. Our graduates are accepted in the best advanced degree programs in the country, including our own.

Co-ops and Internships
Through our Career Center, you can participate in a paid, on-the-job experience as a co-op student or intern at companies such as Pratt & Whitney or General Dynamics.