A UCF alumna has transformed a love for gaming, modeling and simulation to a career in the space industry, working to help humanity return to the moon and explore the reaches of the universe.
Mariana Ramirez ‘26 began her journey in the space industry two years ago as an intern at NASA. Today, she is supporting the Artemis mission as an Orion test operations engineer for Lockheed Martin.
In her role, Ramirez maintains the software and electrical fields on the Orion capsule at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), monitoring its health, status and telemetry in real time, and managing all ground systems.
“It’s an absolute honor to be representing the company under a life-changing mission, bringing people to the moon and beyond, hopefully to Mars, and testing … our limits into deep space exploration,” she says.
Ramirez may not have realized it at the time, but she started building a foundation for her future career when she was a child. She loved electronics and video games, and she shared an interest in computer science with her father, who studied it in college.
When she got to high school, she was inspired by a modeling and simulation class that combined all her interests. From then on, Ramirez knew she wanted to focus her efforts on gaming, engineering and simulations. Her experience helped her obtain her first internship with Intern Pursuit, which is also the name of the video game she helped design.
She started her college journey at Valencia, then transferred to UCF. She says she knew the university offered incredible opportunities for its graduates to move on to successful careers.
“UCF was the only university I wanted to attend, known for its strong and outstanding reputation in engineering and innovative research in Florida,” she says.
During her time as a Knight, Ramirez was active in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at UCF, serving as a professional development co-chair and member.
“[SHPE] helped me prepare for the professional industry and truly helped make an impact to help students pursue their career dreams,” she says.
Though she was an undergraduate studying computer engineering, Ramirez was offered the opportunity to pursue graduate work in the OptiSim Lab, led by Ghaith Rabadi, the director of the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training. The research group uses optimization, simulation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and digital twin technology to provide innovative solutions in various fields, including aviation and runway scheduling, smart cities, and humanitarian logistics and disaster response.
“I was ecstatic to join the OptiSim Lab, and get a head start … with the graduate school and other students within the field, and learning different perspectives in robotics and algorithms,” she says.
Her experiences in the lab helped draw meaningful connections from what she was learning in class to real-world possibilities for the future of robotics. She says learning the psychological perspectives of robots helps engineers understand the decisions they make.
“Exploring the psychological and decision-making frameworks of adaptive systems has given me a direct way to contribute to safer, real-world human-robot interactions,” she says. “In addition, this research helps ensure adaptive systems can safely transition from virtual simulations into physical environments without committing dangerous navigation or safety errors.”
Ramirez continues to be invested in technology and its ever-evolving nature, a passion that keeps her motivated to grow, learn and discover all she can in her field. In the future, she plans to return to UCF to pursue a master’s degree in modeling and simulation.
She attributes her success so far to the unwavering support of her family and friends. Most of all, she is grateful to her dad for inspiring her to pursue a career in technology.
“From working on astronaut simulations inside the Launch Control Center, running software support on the SLS rocket and the RS-25 engines with L3Harris, and becoming a project manager with my team back at KSC, I cannot be more appreciative of what I’ve accomplished so far,” she says. “Now with this huge step, I’m eager to learn beyond the line and discover deeper challenges that come my way. And if I’m there, I’ll be there to see it.”
- Written by Bel Huston