As a Mechanical Engineer graduated from a non European University (UNEFM - Venezuela) with previous work experience only in oil field, the SEEDS Master has been an excellent opportunity for further professional training in an international framework. This master gave me the possibility to change and adapt to an exciting new field of work, in which the application of my profession is very wide and versatile.

The overall picture of Space topics and the particular emphasis on system engineering methodologies allowed us to complete the project work with a remarkable increment of knowledge and preparation, imparted in some cases directly from the experts that today are colleagues. Team work is a daily challenge and a great chance to interface with/learn from professionals of different disciplines, countries, cultures and strategies to approach work. These from my point of view are some of the strongest characteristics of SEEDS. 

At the moment I am doing an internship in Thales Alenia Space (Torino) at Thermal Systems Department, working on new developments and improvements for On-orbit technologies.

My message to future SEEDS editions is that this is, for sure an enriching experience, not only for your career but also for your life.

After my graduation in Aerospace and Astronautical Engineering at University of Naples “Federico II”, I decided to attend the SEEDS Master since I have always been fascinated by the human space exploration. In this regard, the SEEDS Master offered me the possibility to broaden my knowledge in this field and acquire the basic concepts of Space Systems Engineering giving me the chance to interact with many experts from both universities and industries. The core of the SEEDS Master is the project work which allowed me to learn how to deal with a space project improving my capabilities to work in a team and moreover in an international contest, being the project developed in three different countries (Toulouse, Bremen, Turin). This latter aspect made me understand how people coming from different realities approach the same problem in different ways.

After the Master I have immediately started a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino with a Thales Alenia Space fellowship. In particular, I am carrying out my activities as a PhD student at Thales Alenia Space in Turin and I am involved in several studies about space exploration.

Since the beginning my studies have been along the way to Space. Immediately after my graduation in Aerospace Engineering, focused on satellites science and technologies, I decided to jump a step forward attending the Master SEEDS.  A great opportunity to get an overview of complex space projects and related systems.

The SEEDS is really a friendly family, every so often a bit stressing, but just because you can acquire the most if you wholeheartedly work on the proposed activities.

The master offered me a valuable international and team-working experience and the possibility to take a lot of contacts with people that have been working in space activities for a long time and sometimes it is worth more than technical skills.

Currently I am employed in Aviospace an Italian EADS Astrium company, working as system engineer on space technologies and systems with a permanent contract.

The SEEDS Master programme allowed me to gain in depth knowledge in several fields which range from space related technical issues to program management issues directly related to the space industry. I have learned how to work in an international environment and gained a new appreciation of the challenges engineers face every day in designing innovative space systems. After completing the Master I had the chance to continue working on space structures inside the Mechanical CAE department of Thales Alenia Space and have continued to learn exciting new things.

In my opinion the SEEDS Master Course has been a very significant experience. After being graduated at Politecnico di Torino in Aerospace Engineering I decided to participate at this Master Course to have the occasion of starting my future career in the space field. On one hand, Master lectures gave me a wide background of knowledge related to all the main space disciplines. On the other hand, the Master Project Work offered me the possibility to develop in team an interesting and complex study on human space exploration by a system engineering approach. The most peculiar aspects of this activity were:

• The team work experience with people of different nationalities and academic backgrounds, forced to self-organize and work together towards a common objective in the required schedule;
• The chance of travelling around Europe learning about different work methodologies, guided by experienced tutors from both the academic and industrial field;
• The opportunity of growing personal skills facing day by day multifaceted situations from both the social and technical stand point.

At the moment, I’m doing an internship in Thales Alenia Space in Torino. I’m involved in the Thermal Division on the study of new technologies for space exploration.

After graduating in Telecommunications Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, and working as software developer in France, I decided to attend the 4^th edition of SEEDS Master.

SEEDS Master provided a wide set of subjects during lectures performed in Torino, allowing me to learn several aspects of space-related activities.

During the Project Work, I had an extremely valuable chance of working in an international team, assisted by skilled professional coming from several European space agencies and companies, on an extremely challenging goal, such as the design of a Lunar Itinerant Caravan.

The three phases of the Project Work in Toulouse, Bremen and Torino allowed me to improve my team-working skills, and experience both specialistic and system engineering matters, developing different parts of the overall system.

At present, I am acting as Columbus Flight Controller for DMS/Comms (Data Management System Engineer and Communications Officer) at Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen,

After graduating in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, I decided to join the postgraduate Master Course SEEDS to enhance my knowledge in the field of human space exploration. Further on it gave me the opportunity to improve my experience in space system engineering and its methodologies, a key element for the success of any complex engineering project, like the one that we have developed in the six month of project work.

As a matter of fact, in my opinion the core of the experience is the project work, which takes place in Toulouse, Bremen and Turin with the support of local universities and industries. In this international environment, I learned how to work in team with people of different nationalities, to cope with time constraints and to work with different methodologies, guided by experienced tutors from both the academic and industrial field.

At the moment, I am working in ThalesAlenia Space Italia, as verification engineer.

• the opportunity both to create a theoretical background and to perform the feasibility study of a very complex system;
• work in team in an international environment;
• the possibility to meet very experienced engineers;
• the possibility to partecipate to congresses to present the results of the Project Work.

• The strong presence of the major European Space Industries which put students in contact with very high qualified engineers;
• The constant tutors support during all the project work phases in Turin, Toulouse and Bremen;
• The capability to really teach us how to work in a team respecting the tight schedule time.

• The support of ESA and of the most important European space companies
• The system approach to space matters one can acquire
• The international experience one can gain in France and Germany having a look to the local way of approaching space matters