10/20/2026
The past and present crossed paths on a recent trip to NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, when 23 Cal Poly Maritime Academy students, mainly on the engineering side (plus one faculty member), met 2017 Marine Engineering Technology alumnae Miranda Poltorak.
Miranda, the Center’s fluid mechanics facility service, safety, and operations manager, offered tours of different facilities throughout the visit: Supersonic Wind Tunnel Facility, which provides critical aerodynamic and propulsion data for military aircraft, commercial fleets and NASA space programs; Fluid Mechanics Lab, the world's largest wind tunnel that can reach speeds up to ~Mach 0.6; the Arc Jet Complex, where spacecraft material is tested for use after entering the earth's atmosphere; Ames Vertical Gun Range, a hypervelocity impact research facility; hypervelocity impact facility, a specialized laboratory that simulates high-speed collisions; and the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, a research facility used extensively to design and test new generations of aircraft, both commercial and military, as well as NASA space vehicles.
This trip allowed members of Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s award-winning Collegiate Wind Team to gain additional exposure and knowledge of wind tunnels and connect with former students.
Thank you, Miranda, for hosting Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s Collegiate Wind Team!
