Engineering out of this world
Maxwell Briggs ’06, MS ’08, PhD ’15, is a space engineer at heart. But to shape the future of space travel, he needed to think bigger.
By Hannah Jackson ’24
As an engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Maxwell Briggs had one of the most coveted engineering jobs in the galaxy. He worked on revolutionary projects ranging from Affordable Fission Surface Power Systems (AFSPS) to Kilopower initiatives. But to take these projects from research to reality, he realized, he needed to combine his engineering expertise with management.
Last year, Briggs took on the role of Chief Technologist at NASA Glenn, combining his love for engineering with his dreams for shaping the future of space travel. He talked with Case Alumnus about transitioning from space engineering to space management and how Case prepared him to shoot for the stars.
Why did you choose to come to Case to earn your engineering degrees — and three degrees at that?
Case offered a variety of strong programs. I’m also a lifelong Clevelander, so I was choosing a school that was close to home. I decided to go into mechanical engineering and they had a very strong program. For my master’s degree, I did the BS/MS program. It allowed me to do research, which actually started my experience at NASA. I researched gas lubricated foil bearings, which was a project that NASA was working on. That gave me a very nice research opportunity and it eventually turned into my career opportunity.
What were you involved with as a student?
I was a varsity baseball player. I was a captain of the team. Those were some of my fondest memories at Case, playing baseball with those guys. We didn’t have a home field for our first two years, because they were working on (Nobby’s Ballpark). So we were in buses and vans and hotels nonstop for two years. We felt like a minor league baseball team.
How did you become interested in engineering for space?
When I was an undergrad, the big hot topic of the day was alternative energy. I actually assumed that I was going to be working on windmills somewhere, or some type of alternative energy technology. But I started to work on foil bearings and learn about the power systems that those bearings go into. I started thinking, ‘Wow, we could plant a power system on the moon. A nuclear power system on the moon!’ It’s the intriguing nature of the problems that we get to solve, that’s what drew me to space.
And what drew you to NASA?
NASA has the coolest problem set in the universe, right? The scope of what we’re trying to do, our tagline “For the benefit of all.” It really is. We are trying to put assets in space that teach us more about the universe, about how the universe came to exist. As an engineer, there’s nothing that’s going to get you a more exciting set of problems to overcome.
What do you do as Chief Technologist?
I’m responsible for early stage innovations. My job is to make sure that the investments that NASA Glenn is making in early stage technologies are well directed and have the most impact possible. It’s my responsibility to make sure that those things have opportunities and good ideas don’t just stay ideas, but that good ideas turn into technologies or capabilities that people can use.
What do you do as Chief Technologist?
I’m responsible for early stage innovations. My job is to make sure that the investments that NASA Glenn is making in early stage technologies are well directed and have the most impact possible. It’s my responsibility to make sure that those things have opportunities and good ideas don’t just stay ideas, but that good ideas turn into technologies or capabilities that people can use.
You started at NASA as an engineer. What was it like to transition to management and how did that happen?
I really enjoyed being an engineer. I was on a number of engineering projects that were technically successful but did not end up transitioning to the next phase of development. I could do my job as an engineer, and it did not guarantee you that technology was going to go on to further technology maturation or infusion into a NASA mission. I decided that the best way to do that was to get out of the engineering world and get into the world of either management or strategic development.
What’s on the horizon for yourself and your work at NASA?
What I’m looking to do in the first few months of my new role here is to develop an early stage innovation transition strategy that takes advantage of all of the things that we have in the early-stage innovation portfolio and maximize the return on investment. I’m going to focus on portfolio balance of tech push and mission pull and commercial or market stimulation efforts. So making sure that those technologies, those ideas, don’t just stay ideas.
How did Case help to prepare you for your career?
One thing that Case helped me do was to be a good engineer, to understand the fundamentals of engineering, how to apply them, and how to solve complicated problems. Being able to embrace change, to try to be a leader and a cause of change, this was all embraced at Case. And not just change for the sake of change but change for the sake of progress. At Case, you were convinced that we were capable of initiating positive change and capable of leading positive change. What I got from Case was a sense of intellectual confidence or a sense that my ideas and thoughts and initiatives were valid and could compete with anybody else’s.
The Alumni Interview appears regularly in Case Alumnus. To suggest a candidate, or to comment, please email the editor, Robert.Smith@casealum.org.
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