Ryan Matthew Summers

Ryan Matthew Summers

Local students at WSU earn grants to study at NASA and SpaceX

  • Herald staff
  • Thursday, May 5, 2016 8:26pm
  • Local News

They’ve tinkered with tractors and lawn mowers. This summer, two local high school graduates will leave the earth behind as they study under leaders in space exploration.

Carl Bunge, of Monroe, will intern at a NASA space center after earning a coveted NASA Space Grant Fellowship that also comes with $70,000 a year in research support.

Meanwhile, Ryan Matthew Summers, of Stanwood, will intern at SpaceX, entrepreneur Elon Musk’s aerospace manufacturer and space-transport services company. Summers also won a $7,500 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education scholarship.

Both study at Washington State University. Bunge is in mechanical engineering; Summers, in computer engineering.

For Bunge, an interest in space goes back to age 3, when his brother and sister convinced him he was an alien born from an egg his parents found in a field.

“I started thinking, maybe I’m different from these Earthlings around me,” he said. “I guess that started a journey of looking up at the sky.”

Living on a farm had instilled a love of anything with wheels in Bunge, who has engineered tractors. He now works in the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research lab at WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

The lab is working on a more efficient system that NASA may someday use to fuel deep space exploration. Bunge is working on a vortex tube, a device that separates and cools gases without using moving parts. Current systems for cooling and using hydrogen are heavy and complex and require moving parts.

“You’re going to have reliability issues with anything with moving parts,” Bunge said. “It’s going to break down, and in space that’s really difficult to fix.”

Summers is interested in how parallel computing can help improve machine learning algorithms and make them more useful. He’s also interested in pervasive computing, or how computers can be implemented into many parts of our lives.

For five years, he has tried to perfect an autonomous lawn mower with his software-engineer dad, Kevin (a 1980 grad of WSU’s electrical engineering program).

“I love to tinker around and build robots and other contraptions,” said Summers. He’s president of the Robosub Club of the Palouse, team lead in the WSU Robotics Club and an organizer of the WSU Hardware Hackathon.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Employees and patrons of the Everett Mall signed a timeline mural that traces the history of the 51-year-old indoor mall that was once considered the premier place to go shopping in the city. Thursday, March 20, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Mall mural offers nostalgic trip into the past

Past and present Everett Mall employees joined customers Thursday to view an artistic timeline of the once popular shopping mecca.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen gives his State of the City address on Thursday, March 20 in Edmonds, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor talks budget at 2025 State of the City

Mayor Mike Rosen discussed the city’s deficit and highlights from his first year in office.

The Marysville Tulalip Campus on the Tulalip Reservation, where Legacy High School is located. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Marysville board votes to keep Legacy High at current location

The move rolls back a decision the school board made in January to move the alternative high school at the start of next school year.

The former Marysville City Hall building along State Avenue on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
City of Marysville, school board amend property exchange

The city will relocate its public works facility to the district’s current headquarters, which will move to the former City Hall.

Snohomish County Elections employees Alice Salcido, left and Joseph Rzeckowski, right, pull full bins of ballots from the Snohomish County Campus ballot drop box on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County to mail ballots for Edmonds, Brier elections

Registered voters should receive their ballots by April 9 for the April 22 special election.

A stormwater diversion structure which has been given a notice for repairs along a section of the Perrinville Creek north of Stamm Overlook Park that flows into Browns Bay in Edmonds, Washington on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Edmonds Hearing Examiner decides on Perrinville Creek saga

The examiner revoked the city’s Determination of Non-Significance, forcing Edmonds to address infrastructure issues on the creek

Don Sharrett talks John Wrice through his trimming technique on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett barber school offers $5 haircuts — if you’re brave enough

Students get hands-on practice. Willing clients get a sweet deal.

Our Lady of Hope Fr. Joseph Altenhofen outside of his parish’s building that will be the new home of Hope ‘N Wellness on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Hope ‘N Wellness location to open Wednesday in Everett

Our Lady of Hope Church will host the social service organization at 2617 Cedar St. in Everett.

Amtrak Cascades train 517 to Portland departs from Everett Station on Saturday, Sep. 2, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Limited train service to resume on Amtrak Cascades

Trains will have less capacity for now, but service is expected to resume for some routes as early as Tuesday.

Marysville
Police: 66-year-old Marysville man dead from fatal stabbing

A neighbor found the man unconscious on the sidewalk as the result of an apparent stabbing. Police said they are looking for suspects.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Driver, suspected of DUI, hits WSP vehicle on I-5 near Everett

The trooper was blocking the HOV lane for a previous collision when his vehicle was struck Saturday morning.

Skimming devices reported in Everett at gas stations, ATMs

Police warn residents to check for tampering, monitor accounts for fraud.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.