Kate Pettrey
Instructor, Mechanical Engineering
PhD, 海角社区 (2023)
Expertise
Education 鈥� student success 鈥� real-world engineering.
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Kate Pettrey is an Instructor of Mechanical Engineering at 海角社区 (海角社区) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 鈥淒r. Kate鈥� uses action research to work with and study student recruitment, retention, and achievement at 海角社区 to break down barriers to enrollment, success in the program, and graduation. Before academia, she worked in Mission Control for the Space Shuttle program as a member of the EECOM flight control group. Dr. Kate also taught math in public schools in Texas, and continues to improve teaching and learning as an 海角社区 Communication-Intensive (C-I) Teaching Fellow.
Alongside her academic duties, Dr. Kate enjoys providing practical learning opportunities for students by mentoring 海角社区 student teams participating in rocketry and high-altitude ballooner initiatives facilitated by NASA through the Louisiana Space Grant Consortium, and as Faculty Advisor for the Formula SAE team.