NASA Engineer Embraces Heritage in Aviation Leap

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Abigail Reigner, a systems engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, supports the agency's research in electrified aircraft propulsion to enable more sustainable air travel. Behind her is a 25% scale model of NASA's SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan aircraft concept used to test and demonstrate hybrid electric propulsion systems for emission reductions and performance boosts in future commercial aircraft.

Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna

Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Abigail Reigner spent most of her childhood miles away from where her family called home, and where there was little trace of her Native American tribe and culture.

Belonging to the Comanche Nation that resides in Lawton, Oklahoma, Reigner's parents made every effort to keep her connected to her Indigenous heritage and part of a community that would later play a key role in her professional journey.

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