Yiyun's Homepage

About Me

    Exploring; Experiencing; Appreciating.

    I am a PhD candidate in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering at MIT, advised by Professor Danielle Wood. I started to work on Zero Robotics program and joined the Space Enabled group at MIT Media Lab in January 2022. Before that, I was working on atmospheric plasma generation both in simulation and laboratory experiments under the supervision of Professor Carmen Guerra Garcia in the Aerospace Plasma Group (APG). I gained my Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and my Master degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering at MIT.

Recent Posts

    I presented my work on Zero Robotics at the 2023 United Nations/Canada Space for Women Expert Meeting in Montréal, Canada. The theme of the meeting is "Building capacity to promote and advance gender equality in the space sector." The meeting is organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). | Oct 30 - Nov 3, 2023

    The title of my poster presentation is "Improving the access to aerospace engineering through the case study of Zero Robotics". More information is available here.

    I was selected and attended the 2023 Future Leaders in Aerospace Symposium hosted by MIT AeroAstro.| Oct 11 - 13, 2023

    It was a great opportunity to meet with many young professionals in the same field and learn from senior faculty members' sharing. More information is available here.

    The 2023 Zero Robotics Middle School Competition was held successfully at MIT Media Lab! This year's game challenge is "LUNABEE"! Congratulations to the winning teams!| Jan - Aug, 2023

    A lot of thanks to everyone on the ZR team! More informations of the 2023 tournament is here.

    I helped to host a Zero Robotics workshop to high school students from the Boston area. This is part of the Bridge Program organized by the 7uice Foundation founded by Jaylen Brown and MIT Media Lab. | Jul 25, 2023

    Thanks to the 2023 summer Zero Robotics team! Everyone was helping out and did an amazing job at the workshop. Looking forward to future collaborations!

    My poster is selected for an "Honorable Mention" award with the title of "Using Zero Robotics as a study case for Intersectional Antiracist Technology Framework" at the 2023 Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy Conference. | May 24 - 26, 2023

    More information is available here.

    I was a moderator at the 2023 Harvard and MIT Case Competition. Our client this year is Z Wraps. | Apr - May, 2023

    More information is available here.

    Thanks to Navajo Technical University (NTU) who helped to host the on-site CHIERS meeting!| Feb 1-8, 2023

    This is my first time in New Mexico. I had a great time to finally meet in-person with our partners at NTU. I was helping NTU students to setup Astrobee flight software on their lab computers in the photo.

    I am the lead of MIT student team working on 2022 Middle School Competition in Zero Robotics program. | Jan - Aug, 2022

    Congratulations to the Zero Robotics team receiving the award at ISS|R&D confernce for "successfully transferring the Zero Robotics global competition from SPHEREs to Astrobee" in July 2022!

    I collaborated with Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab and successfully held a local field day for middle school students in 2022 Zero Robotics program from Boston area. | Jul, 2022

    Thanks to the Lifelong Kindergarten Group for offering a innovative workshop on space themes!
    The recording of the final event of 2022 Zero Robotics competition held on August 3rd, is now available here: https://www.facebook.com/MITnews/videos/425897212933785

    I am the panel manager of STEM and Innovative Learning at The 2020 China Education Symposium, Harvard University. | Apr 17 - 19, 2020

    “From Barriers to Dialogues: Envisioning the Future of Education in China.”
    It was a great experience to meet many educators and experts in education topics over the world! Many thanks to our panel guests: Rhonda Ford, Kou Kam Fai and Kan Wang for their kind sharing. I feel proud being part of CES community and look forward to future CES events!
    Relevant links:
    1. Pre-event Interview with Natalie Rusk
    2. STEM and Innovative Learning Panel

    Got accepted for and Attended The Princeton-Combustion Institute Summer School on Combustion! | Jun 23 - 28, 2019

    Thanks to Prof. Chung K. Law, who organized the Summer School on Combustion!
    I learned about the advanced methods in setting combustion models and simulating chemical reactions. This summer school helped to enhance my technical skills in research work and look into problems from different perspectives.

    Being a volunteer at The 2019 China Education Symposium, Harvard University. | Apr 13 - 14, 2019

    “Education: discovering a world of new possibilities.”
    The symposium mainly discussed on six topics: International and Higher Education, Early Childhood Education, STEAM and Innovative Learning, Rural Education, Diversity and Inclusion in Education, and Mental Health Education. It's a great opportunity for me to gain knowledge and learn about modern concerns and potential developments in Education.

Graduate Student

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, MIT