MikeGrossSpacecraft.jpgMichael Gross has one of the most exciting jobs on—or off—the planet: space exploration. The CECS alumnus (BS ’96 summa cum laude, MS ’08 with distinction, Electrical Engineering) has spent his entire career developing spacecraft for missions that are shedding new light on the universe and providing a rare view of Earth from outer space.

When Gross first arrived at CSUN, however, he didn’t aspire to work for NASA. In fact, engineering was the farthest major from his mind. Not only had he found math challenging in junior high and high school, but his dreams were focused on the ocean depths and marine biology. After realizing the limited job prospects in that field, he decided to become a lawyer and switched his major to political science. It was only after he took a student job in the chemistry lab at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power that he began to reconsider his options. Although bored by his own work assignments, he noticed that the student engineers working alongside him really seemed to be enjoying theirs. Maybe, he thought, he should give engineering a try.

MikeGross.jpgBack at CSUN, he took an introduction to algorithms course. “It taught me to think and problem-solve, and after that everything made sense,” he says. His academic performance took off, and he knew he’d found his niche.

As an engineering student, Gross became a leader, serving as vice president and then president of Tau Beta Pi. “I got to interact with some very dedicated and talented students who went on to become very good engineers,” he says. “The camaraderie was very rewarding.” He also sat on committees for the college’s ABET accreditation, which gave him a chance to work with faculty on an entirely different level.

About a year and a half before graduating, he learned of an opportunity that would change his life: a part-time job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He applied and was hired and, he says, “I thank God every day for it.” He has remained there ever since.

In the intervening years, Gross has held a succession of increasingly responsible and rewarding jobs. “I’ve worked on several missions that have brought around scientific firsts,” he says. “That has been a major thrill.”

MikeGrossRussia.jpgThese have included Project Cassini, which discovered four previously unknown moons of Saturn; GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), which has documented the ice mass loss of Greenland and water loss in the San Joaquin Valley; NASA’s Mars Rovers, which provided empirical proof that water once flowed on the surface of Mars; and NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, which proved that water still exists on Mars today. Along the way, he was recognized with the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.

Now serving as the flight system manager for the GRACE Follow-On project, he credits his outstanding CSUN education and mentoring for his success. “CSUN, being a teaching institution, gives you access to professors who teach you how to think and bring out the best in you,” he says. “They taught me how to apply the subject matter, which made me useful from the very beginning. I owe almost everything I am to my mentors at Cal State Northridge and my father.”

GravityRecoveryClimateExperiment.jpgGross maintains his connections to CECS by serving on the college’s and electrical engineering department’s Industry Advisory Boards. He delivered the 2011 commencement address and the alumnus speech the previous year. He has participated in TechFest and given keynote addresses to Tau Beta Pi and the college’s IEEE student chapter. “Anytime they ask me to help, I help,” he says.

After working with engineers and computer scientists trained at the world’s top universities, he is convinced that a CSUN engineering education rivals that offered by any of them.

“I get to work with some of the best and brightest engineers in the world, but some of the best and brightest I’ve ever worked with came from CSUN,” he says. “They’re everywhere, and they should be proud of the school they went to because it is giving them the tools they need to succeed.”