When Abril Ramos first set foot on campus at Arizona State University in the fall of 2021, she had no idea she might be helping NASA astronauts accomplish the first moon mission in the 21st century.

“It’s crazy, especially seeing how it started,” says Ramos, who recently completed her junior year as a chemical engineering major in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.

In the beginning of her engineering journey, Ramos had a simple mission: beat her brother. He had completed a chemical engineering degree at ASU, and Ramos says if her older brother could do it, so could she — and she could do it better.

Ramos’ competitive spirit helped her take a risk in her sophomore year. She applied for an internship at Swift Coat, an ASU spinout company based on research developments by Peter Firth, a Fulton Schools alumnus, and co-founded by Zachary Holman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation.

Her decision has turned into a valuable learning experience that has shown the far reaches of where engineering can take her.

Ramos was also instrumental in helping Swift Coat secure a spot as one of two companies funded by NASA to develop a new anti-fog coating for the spacesuits to be worn by the Artemis moon mission crew.

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