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In celebration of Women's History Month, the Department of Aerospace Engineering is highlighting some of our talented faculty and alumni through a series of stories, and Q&As, sharing their journeys and their advice for aspiring aerospace engineers.
Tam Nguyen is an assistant professor in the University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Her research focuses on the discovery, tracking, and characterization of space objects, including artificial satellites and planetary bodies.
Prior to UMD, she was at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, leading programs in advanced detection and tracking capabilities, space-based instrumentation, and space system architectures. She received her S.B. in aeronautics/astronautics and physics, S.M. in aeronautics/astronautics, and Ph.D. in space systems, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Who, or what, inspires you?
I am always inspired by a dark, clear night sky.
Where, or how, did you get started on your Aerospace Engineering journey?
I was always interested in solving problems and mysteries as a kid, so I was naturally drawn to space exploration.
I remember buying a copy of ‘The Universe in a Nutshell’ by Stephen Hawking when I was in middle school, soon after it was translated into Vietnamese. Although I didn’t understand much of it, I remember being amazed at the vastness of the universe and how we can attempt to understand it.
After moving to the United States in the 11th grade, I was determined to pursue an education and career that will contribute to space exploration. When I was an undergrad, I decided to major in aeronautics/astronautics with a double major in physics to understand both the science and engineering behind space exploration, which has continued to be my passion to this day.
What has helped you succeed in your Aerospace Engineering journey?
I grew up in Vietnam at a time when there was a lack of women in science and engineering and virtually no opportunities in space exploration. Despite these limitations, my family never let me feel like anything was out of reach. In middle school, I was encouraged to participate in an advanced math program, which gave me a strong analytical foundation and confidence to later pursue my interests in aerospace engineering.
Throughout my journey, I received overwhelming support from my family, friends, and mentors to help me overcome the many challenges along the way.
What advice would you offer to current students?
It’s okay to fail sometimes. You can learn from it, adapt, and try again or try something else. There are many paths to success.
What have been some of your greatest personal/professional successes?
One of the fondest memories in my career so far was when I had the rare opportunity to be at mission control for the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission when I was a graduate student; the subsystem I had worked on was being tested for the first time on orbit. The test turned out to be unsuccessful.
For the next several hours, I worked with other scientists and engineers to carefully investigate the behavior of the spacecraft and came up with a solution, leveraging something I had noticed during my Ph.D. research. The fix that I proposed was uploaded to the spacecraft during the next pass (early morning the next day) and it was a success!
I felt incredibly proud to have contributed to the success of the mission, and our team later received a NASA Silver Achievement Medal.
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The Clark School Celebrates Women's History Month
March 27, 2025
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