Alayna Grover was selected to go to NASA’s Space Radiation Laboratory in Long Island, New York, and took part in a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates at Indiana University. Photo by Angela Foster.
When Alayna Grover came to school at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, her goal was to change the world.
Coming from the small town of White House, Tennessee, Grover viewed college as a fresh start.
“I had to completely start everything new professionally,” she said. “I had no idea what I was doing or where my life was headed, but I forced myself to figure it out.
Now a junior electrical engineering major with a minor in physics, Grover has already built a resume of research experiences.
In September, she was selected to go to NASA’s Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) in Long Island, New York.
“I was taken as an undergrad on someone else’s experiment,” she said. “This was extremely important––not many undergraduate students get an opportunity to go to a radiation test like this.”
During her time at NSRL, Grover spent four days learning how radiation affects electronics used in space, helping a team test processor chips to see how they held up under extreme conditions.
She said that her research involved learning how the experiments were set up, what calculations were taken and how the data was recorded.
“We were running experiments for 10 hours a day, testing how systems would hold up under space-like radiation conditions,” she said. “It was an incredible learning opportunity.”
Shortly before this experience, Grover took part in a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates at Indiana University, where she worked on a project to design and build detectors that track resultant particles from the interaction of galactic cosmic rays and Earth’s atmospheric gases.
“I did a start-to-finish project and built about 12 Muon detectors,” she said. “I used physics materials including plastic scintillators and silicon photomultipliers while soldering circuits utilizing circuit schematics. I was also learning about nuclear physics.”
Even with all of the hands-on research at Indiana University, Grover said the most valuable lesson she learned was understanding the qualities that make a strong leader.
Alayna Grover
“I realized that leadership is about passion, creativity and initiative,” she said. “When I started my high-level research, I was just a sophomore and hadn’t even taken some of the key electrical classes yet, but I took the initiative to get involved early—and that’s what has defined me as a leader.”
In addition to her research, Grover has stepped into leadership roles on campus. She serves as the president of UTC’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, where she organizes events and connects students with industry professionals.
Through the Women’s Mentorship Program, Grover is paired with a professional mentor from TVA, helping her develop both her technical and professional skills.
She is also involved in the UTC Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) microelectronics workforce program––a mentorship, internship matching and targeted research projects program through Purdue University.
“It’s a challenge,” she said, “but it’s exciting to be part of something that’s so important.”
Grover also faces a unique challenge for electrical engineering students; she is one of the very few women in the electrical engineering program at UTC.
“This is a huge change for me because, before my career choice, I was mostly surrounded by women,” she said. “A vast majority of my teachers, family members and friends were all women before going into electrical engineering.
“In this male-dominated field, I feel as if I can bring a lot of creativity, collaborative leadership, emotional intelligence and innovation into traditional electrical engineering practices.”
She said she is eager to continue her research and encourages other students, especially young women, to pursue their passions.
“I’ve never let being a woman get in the way of doing what I want to do,” she said. “I’ve always just kept initiative and been an independent thinker.”
Grover shared her advice to women interested in STEM fields.
“Explore what you’re passionate about and don’t let being outnumbered stop you,” she said. “You have to put yourself out there and seize the opportunities that come your way.”
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