Education

Thompson earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University in 2007 and her Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009.

Shortly after graduating, Thompson went on to work as a safety engineer in the Occupational Safety and Health Division at NASA, and two years later moved on to be an aerospace engineer in the Navigation and Mission Design Branch, where she still works. She recently earned her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2021.

Girl in Space Club

In 2018, Thompson set out to make STEM “fun and fashionable,” combining her passion for art and fashion with her immense STEM knowledge to found Girl in Space Club, a unique streetwear line. Through GiSC, Thompson set out “to keep girls inspired and engaged in STEM,” and created programs, artwork, a book series, and a fashion line.

STEMulating Art

One of the GiSC initiatives, STEMulating Art, connects art and STEM to encourage students to become creative problem solvers. The workshop, aimed at third through sixth graders, features a challenge to design a sneaker that astronauts can wear in space, teaching them important scientific concepts.

Women’s Space Suit

In addition to her full-time job as an aerospace engineer, GiSC, and STEMulating Art, Thompson raised over $80,000 for GiSC to design the first-ever space suit designed for women. It’s currently being tested by Hypatia I, a female-led mission in Utah.

Keep up to date with Thompson’s work by following her on LinkedIn.