Logan Hill has always been fascinated with space.
As a child, Hill would go on camping trips with his family around Clark County. His father would point up to the sky and say “that’s a constellation.”
His curiosity grew stronger as the years went on. At Woodland High School, Hill noticed he enjoyed math and science courses so he chose to pursue aerospace engineering.
Hill is now a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.
“It seemed to be a natural fit for me to go into aerospace engineering,” he said. “Embry-Riddle seemed to have a lot of graduates who were very successful in the field and made big contributions. The university also had good opportunities to get hands-on learning.”
Hill was chosen as one of 20 students for the Aviation Week Network’s 20 Twenties class, which represents the top aerospace students around the world.
The program started in 2013 and included participants from 136 universities and colleges this year. Students are nominated for their academics, civic contributions and for the value of their research, according to a news release.
“I was very excited and very honored,” Hill said. “I think it’s a cool program to show recognition for some younger members of the aerospace industry in the community.”
A few months ago, Hill was invited by one of his material science professors to conduct research about 3D printing.
For 3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, it takes a few processes to make the plastic pieces, he said. Hill is looking into how he can alter the strength and stiffness of parts made during the printing process.
Hill said he worked with one research partner and followed COVID-19 safety guidelines in order to continue research throughout the pandemic.
He also joined the campus rocketry club as a freshman. For the design competition, the club members were split into three teams and each received a kit to build a rocket, Hill said.
The teams had an opportunity to modify the rocket parts, construct the rocket, test it, and then launch the final product.
After he graduates in 2022, Hill hopes to work for a company that is involved in manned spaceflight.
“It’s the pinnacle of combinations of technologies that the industry has been able to put together and develop,” he said.
To prepare for his goal of space travel, Hill participated in NASA’s 2021 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkages (RASC-AL) competition. Students designed hypothetical space missions and submitted the report to NASA after working on the project for about a year.
“I learned how to research a topic that I didn’t know a ton about without a formal classroom,” he said.
Hill and his team decided to design a manned mission to the dwarf planet Ceres, which is located beyond Mars. The mission would take place in the 2040s.
The group talked about how they would manage the budget, what technologies they would use and then they justified why those technologies would be ready by the time of the mission, Hill said.
At Woodland High School, Hill ran on the cross country and track team. He was also involved in student government as the vice president and took several advanced placement classes.
“My favorite part of growing up in Woodland is that it felt like I knew everyone,” he said. “I could tell that all of my teachers cared and that prepared me for college because they were putting effort (in) to make sure the students were ready for what’s next.”
Hill has one younger brother, Cameron, who graduated from Woodland High School in June and plans to attend Washington State University in the fall. Both of his parents work as elementary school teachers.
“My biggest inspiration to work hard in school, especially this last year, has been my parents,” Hill said. “I’ve seen them work very hard throughout their entire careers.”
