Born from the challenge of the Space Race, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our peopleβs curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth.
Founded to reach the moon, weβre already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, Americaβs Space University celebrates ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Space Week Nov. 3-7.
Where Global Leaders Unite to Boldly Forge the Future of Space
Americaβs first astronauts, known as βthe Mercury Seven,β will forever be known as the men who began this countryβs journey into space. Twenty-five years after beginning their quest, the surviving astronauts from our original space race launched the Astronaut Scholarship to help ensure the U.S. would be the global STEM leader for the next space races
The Mercury crew would be impressed with whatβs happening at SpaceU in 2025: a , an , a HyperSpace Center and three more recipients of the prestigious scholarship they established. This year, the committee chose 74 juniors and seniors from 51 universities, and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is one of only three universities with a trio of winners β Keanu Brayman, Kyle Coutray and Sun Latt.
Each student reminds us that you never truly know what fuels a personβs trajectory toward discovery until you reflect on the journey that brought them into orbit.
Keanu Brayman
Mechanical engineering student and Burnett Honors Scholar
Thereβs a good reason Keanu Brayman changed his major a few times before settling on mechanical engineering.
βSpace exploration is a broad topic,β he says, βand I want to understand everything β the development of the spacecraft, sending it, landing it and discovering with it.β
His curiosity led him to consider aerospace engineering, robotics, computer science and the ultimate: sitting in a capsule aimed at the moon or Mars.
βLike a lot of kids, I always wanted to be an astronaut,β Brayman says.
A childhood fantasy that began with Legos in the living room has blossomed in multiple labs at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. In the Optical Imaging System Lab, he designed a 3D printed housing for optical vision systems with space applications. In the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research, he advanced a rover wheel testbed to simulate conditions on the moonβs surface. Today, in his fourth year, heβs working in the Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory (ASRL) researching optimal control on a robotic arm for space proximity operations.
βMy overarching goal is to help humans become multi-planetary, with enough sustained lunar infrastructure to take us further into space.β βKeanu Brayman, student
βI never imagined the steppingstones in my life would take me this far,β he says.
He can vividly describe each step, with his mom encouraging him to dream big. When she noticed his interest in science, she and Braymanβs dad saved enough money to buy a Lego robotics kit. They invested in a modest telescope so he could spot Jupiter from their home in South Florida. One night, Braymanβs mom took him to the beach, where they watched the streaking speck of a distant space shuttle launch up the coast.
βThat small glimpse made space technology more tantalizing for me,β Brayman says.
No one in his family had a STEM background. They lived paycheck to paycheck, and he didnβt know if college would be affordable. That changed when his FIRST Robotics team visited ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, where he heard faculty say they wanted students like him to join their research teams.
βIt was hard for my mom when I left home,β says Brayman, who earned the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, βbut she knew I needed to follow my ambitions.β
Those ambitions unearthed more steppingstones at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. He joined a competitive rocketry team, earned an internship with NASA, and started a club: the Society of Innovation and Neurodiversity in Engineering, a community of students overcoming challenges like ADHD.
And now the Astronaut Scholarship.
βIt was always a pipe dream to meet an astronaut someday. But at our ceremony, every time I turned around, I met another astronaut and expanded my network of mentors,β he says.
The support came at a time when Brayman needed it most as he was going through significant personal struggles.
βThe scholarship has been a light. It reinforces what my mom always told me: βYou can achieve anything you set your mind to.β Her belief in me will always be my driving force,β he says.
Kyle Coutray
Computer engineering and biomedical sciences student, and Burnett Honors Scholar
It may sound modest when Kyle Coutray says, βI donβt absorb complex topics instantly.β Yet this is a senior pursuing two demanding majors, devoting his time at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ to understanding the most complex system ever discovered β the brain βand turning that knowledge into tools that help people.
Managing material at that level requires discipline, and Coutray relies on habits like writing things down, studying late with flashcards and breaking big ideas into manageable parts. That steady approach reflects a deeper drive, one he credits to both his parents and his faith.
βI truly have the worldβs best parents. They always encouraged me to push my limits and become the best version of myself,β he says. βI also believe God blessed me with a healthy mind, and I have a responsibility to use it where I can make the greatest impact.β
That mindset took root in high school, when Coutray launched an apparel brand by teaching himself the step-by-step process from design to sale. While it found success, he sensed there had to be another door into a more meaningful future. That conviction deepened when he came upon a neighbor lying in the road after a skateboarding accident.
βSome say space is the final frontier. I believe itβs the brain, with its 100 trillion connections. Exploring it will take the same spirit of discovery that drives us to the stars, and the Astronaut Scholarship fuels my own spirit to make the next discoveries.β β Kyle Coutray, student
βI had done the same thing with my friends countless times, and in an instant his life was changed forever. That was the moment I realized how fragile the brain is. Later, when I began studying neuroscience at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, it offered me a way to reconcile that experience and a clear sense of purpose.β
At ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, Coutray has found ways to act on that purpose. He volunteers for ACEing Autism, where he facilitates adaptive tennis activities for children on the autism spectrum. Even intramural sports have offered him practical lessons that carry into his research.
βDuring my first year I was juggling so much that I stopped taking care of myself, and my productivity dropped,β he says. βWhen I got back into sports and focused on my health, everything improved β school, relationships and research. Iβm a firm believer that a healthy body is critical to keeping the mind sharp.β
Coutray carries that same philosophy into the intersection of engineering and neuroscience. His focus is on decoding neural signals and developing assistive technologies that restore function and empower people of all abilities. What began as a way to process his neighborβs accident has grown into a lifeβs mission: to give people their lives back.
Sun Latt
Biomedical sciences student and Burnett Honors Scholar
Sun Latt is having a moment. Actually, heβs having a year. You might remember Latt for winning a Goldwater Scholarship last spring. Or he could look familiar as an Order of Pegasus recipient. Here he is a few months later with the Astronaut Scholarship to complete a student triple crown of sorts β although Latt is too modest to say so himself.
βItβs been surreal and Iβm thankful beyond words,β Latt says, βbut thereβs so much more to be done.β
Latt has worked on nanomedicine research with urgent focus since he found his first lab as a first-year student. Three years later, he has worked alongside a team of researchers to investigate the advantages of using a novel nanoparticle in magnesium orthopedic implants: the bone heals faster and the implant dissolves without leeching toxins. He has also contributed to nanomedicine research with preventive applications, such as a delivery system to silence the gene that causes osteoporosis.
βIβve been challenging myself for three reasons; To become a good scientist, to make sure my mentors and the people whoβve supported me are not let down, and so I can be the best mentor possible in the future. β Sun Latt, student
βWeβve explored the basic working principles in a glass dish,β Latt says, βso now other researchers can see how the nanoparticle interacts for healing applications beyond bone.β
This doesnβt mean heβs finished.
βWhen youβre always trying to innovate, youβre never finished,β Latt says.
For his honors undergraduate thesis, Latt is leading a project that incorporates nanobubbles to deliver medicine into the body before releasing it precisely where and when itβs needed. He envisions using AI to take another leap and future applications for nanobubbles in space.
βFor me, itβs all about healing the body,β he says. βThatβs what motivated my dad, even with his limited resources and without formal recognition or awards.β
Lattβs parents immigrated from Myanmar. His dad learned to be a doctor so he could care for people who needed the most help β especially in rural areas. Latt carries that same compassion into his research, fully conscious that accomplishments are not his alone.
βIβve been a lifelong learner, and I look forward to being a lifelong teacher,β he says.
Those interested in the Astronaut Scholarship and other opportunities should reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at OPA@ucf.edu.
