Crowther is Team Leader of the Cornell Mars Rover club, an interdisciplinary team of 40 engineering, science, and business undergraduates that designs and builds a mock rover, much like NASA’s Spirit or Opportunity rovers that roam Mars. Recently named to BI’s list of most impressive students at Cornell, Crowther takes innovation to a new frontier.
Rather than focusing on its individual sub-systems, Crowther is responsible for conceptualizing the rover’s “big picture” design and investigating new methods of manufacturing, such as 3D printing. Last year, she co-founded the Rapid Prototyping Lab, Cornell’s first open space for 3D printing and laser-cutting, which proved to be invaluable in the research and testing phases of building the rover.