Naia Butler-Craig facts for kids

Naia Butler-Craig was born on September 2, 1997. She is an American aerospace engineer and someone who helps people understand science. She works on exciting projects that involve space and helps inspire others, especially young people, to get involved in science and engineering.

Early Life and Education

Naia Butler-Craig showed an early interest in science and engineering. In 2017, she had an internship at NASA Glenn Research Center. During this time, she worked as a systems engineer intern. Her research focused on small satellites called CubeSats. She explored how to make them more powerful without them getting too hot.

Later in 2017, Naia shared her research at a special event at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University. She was a McNair scholar, which is a program that helps students prepare for graduate school. After graduating from Embry–Riddle, she worked at NASA Glenn Research Center in the Space and Science Technology Systems Branch.

As of 2025, Naia is a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research fellow. She is studying at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the High-Power Electric Propulsion Lab. Her advanced research focuses on electric propulsion, which is a way to power spacecraft using electricity. This technology helps spacecraft travel through space more efficiently.

Inspiring Others

Naia Butler-Craig is a strong supporter of getting more people involved in science, especially girls and women. When she was in high school, she took part in the Tech Sassy Girlz camp. This program helps young girls learn about technology.

Naia also started an important group called Black Girls in STEM. This group encourages Black girls and women to become role models for younger scientists. She also leads chapters for the Society of Women in Space Exploration.

Naia often shares her experiences and knowledge with the public. She has been featured in videos and articles, talking about her work and the importance of diversity in science. For example, she spoke about the day the Perseverance rover landed on Mars. She has also discussed space propulsion on NPR's Short Wave podcast.

Awards and Achievements

Naia Butler-Craig has received many awards for her hard work and contributions to science.

• In 2018, she was named “Executive Member of the Year” by the National Society of Black Engineers.
• In 2019, the Mars Generation program recognized her as a space award winner.
• In 2020, she received the Modern-Day Technology Leader Award. This is part of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards.
• Also in 2020, Popular Mechanics magazine named her one of ten women to follow on Twitter.
• In 2021, Naia was included in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Science. This honor recognized her efforts to increase diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.