Isabella Hart
Isabella Hart, a 2021 Neil S. Bucklew Scholar and Hurricane native, graduated with dual degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering in December 2025. Following graduation, she moved to Sterling, Virginia, to begin her career as an associate guidance navigation and control engineer at Northrop Grumman’s Space Systems division, a leading global aerospace and defense technology company.
While a student in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and a member of the Honors College, she balanced technical research with a steadfast commitment to leadership and service. As a member of the Society of Women Engineers, she held several leadership roles focused on K-12 outreach initiatives to inspire the next generation of women in engineering. Her dedication to the field also included serving as a MMAE Mountaineer Mentor and an ambassador for the College, as well as advocating for women in STEM at various national conferences.
Hart’s drive for leadership and innovation carried into her capstone projects. As the chief system engineer for her spacecraft design capstone, she led a team of 43 students in designing a small debris-detecting satellite mission. For her second capstone, she shifted her focus to the racetrack, joining the University’s Formula SAE team. There, she optimized a race car’s aerodynamics through computer simulations and wind tunnel testing to improve the vehicle’s speed and stability for a Society of Automotive Engineers international competition in Michigan.
Her professional expertise was refined through three diverse internships. She assisted the manufacturing of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft at Aurora Flight Sciences in Bridgeport, and as a University Nanosatellite Program intern, she designed satellite missions at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her work there led to her selection as a NASA “Student Talks” presenter. Additionally, she helped produce small engine fuel controls for General Electric and Pratt & Whitney Canada at Woodward, Inc. in Rockford, Illinois.
Driven by the conviction that technical excellence means little without compassion, Hart dedicated more than 500 service hours to supporting patients receiving end-of-life care at Amedisys Hospice Care. In recognition of her exceptional service, she was named a 2025 Mountaineer of Distinction and is a two-time recipient of the WVU iServe President’s Volunteer Service Award.