UC engineer named Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellow
Lynn Pickering recently earned doctorate in aerospace engineering
Lynn Pickering was drawn to the University of CIncinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science for its top-ranked cooperative education program. Her work in artificial intelligence has taken her around the world. Earning both her bachelor's and doctorate in aerospace engineering from UC, Pickering received the prestigious Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship to support her academic research in her final year.
Lynn Pickering earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering at UC. Photo/Provided
Zonta International's Earhart Fellowship, established in 1938, honors just 30 students worldwide each year who are pursuing doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences.
For Pickering, aerospace engineering was a dream of hers since she was young. Her father is a pilot. Flying with him was the foundation of her drive to understand the mechanisms of aircraft. A graduate of Cincinnati's Walnut Hills High School, Pickering came to UC as part of the University Honors Program, comprised of the top seven percent of students, and for the promise of its international co-op program. She was able to spend two semesters in Germany on co-op with BMW, her first foray into international studies. As an undergraduate student, her research trajectory changed when she began artificial intelligence research with Kelly Cohen, PhD, professor of aerospace engineering.
Her doctoral research centered around ensuring that AI is used ethically, responsibly, and is understandable by humans. She shared that her goal is to work toward interpretable machine learning models in the aerospace engineering field, enabling people to trust AI, leading to effective human-machine interactions and systems.
Lynn Pickering has traveled the world studying artificial intelligence. Photo/Provided
"In the field of aerospace engineering, there are many fascinating applications, and I am interested in using AI to analyze the vast amounts of data we collect in space, especially about the earth," Pickering said.
During her studies, Pickering has traveled the world advancing her research. She spent two years at Ghent University in Belgium, including one year as a Fulbright scholar, five months in the United Kingdom as a visiting doctoral student researcher, and participated in the ADIA Lab/University of Granada Summer School Program in Spain. Pickering has also performed research for the Dutch government. In addition, she was featured on the Science Channel's "Impossible Engineering" show to explain the groundbreaking technology behind the Bell XV-3 twin rotor aircraft that was the precursor to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. She hopes to use what she has learned to contribute to policy developments around AI in the United States. Having such strong global experiences, Pickering is dedicated to making a positive impact on the world, a value upheld by Zonta International.
"The fact that this award comes from such an incredible organization is what really makes it so meaningful for me," Pickering said. "As a woman in aerospace engineering, Amelia Earhart has always been a source of inspiration, and joining the ranks of the incredible women who have received this award in the name of such a figure is a tremendous honor."
Pickering will be recognized at the UC College of Engineering and Applied Science on Aug. 27.
Featured image at top: Lynn Pickering was featured on the Science Channel's Impossible Engineering. Photo/The Science Channel