Scholar Profile
Morris Vanegas
Aerospace Engineering
Biography
Morris graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After working as a Mission Assurance and Astronaut Safety Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies in Los Angeles, he returned to MIT to earn his dual Masters' degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Astronautical Engineering and worked in the Man Vehicle Lab within the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. He currently teaches a digital fabrication course called "How To Make (Almost) Anything" at Northeastern University. He is a ScD Candidate at the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, an Artist in Residence at RedWorks3D, and the founder and Director of the residential-based TDC Makerspace at MIT.
High school: California Academy of Math and Science
Degrees
| College | Year | Degree |
|---|---|---|
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA |
2012 | B.S. Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering |
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA |
2016 | M.S. Mechanical Engineering |
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA |
2016 | M.S. Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering |
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA |
2020 | Ph.D. Bioengineering |
News and Highlights
30 under 30: Morris Vanegas, MS '08 was recently named to the Latino 30 under 30 list for his work in an academic specialty in the biomedical engineering of imaging the brain using visible light that was still only partially born. Currently, he is heading an NIH-funded grant to create portable non-invasive neuro-imaging technologies to accelerate stroke recovery. And outside of academia, Morris is the Co-Founder of The Second L, an organization that runs ÉPOCA: a multi-day festival that helps lifelong learners reach their personal and professional self-fulfillment through residential-based learning, experience-based insight, cultural agility, and wellness coaching. Learn more about Morris and his accomplishment here.
Award Winning. Morris Vanegas, MS ’08, was honored with the L.A.’s BEST After School Enrichment Program Distinguished Alumnus award at their annual Family Brunch on June 5th , for his work tutoring elementary school students.
All systems go: Mission Assurance Engineer, Morris Vanegas, MS ‘08, was on the console for SpaceX’s Dragon launch, its second commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. He will take a break from the action this fall when he returns to M.I.T. to earn his master’s in Astrophysics / Aeronautics.