Sara McAllister
Mechanical and Fire Engineer
“I went from being the little girl handing my dad tools while he was under the car to being the one under the car. I wanted to know more about combustion because, well, that’s what makes cars work.”
Career Highlights
-
Researcher at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
-
Explores how biomass ignites and fuels forest fires with a goal to reverse-engineer the spread of fires
-
Studied flammability risks inside NASA’s next-generation space shuttle to make astronauts safer
-
Growing up, she spent countless hours with her dad repairing complex gadgets, building things and learning what makes cars work
STEM Gems Club
Is a career as a Mechanical and Fire Engineer in your future? Are you curious about how the everyday things around you work? STEM Gem Sara McAllister is a mechanical engineer specializing in fire engineering. Her research explores how biomass ignites and fuels forest fires; her ultimate goal is to reverse engineer the spread of fires. Watch one of the videos. Then, with your STEM Gems Tribe, discuss, explore, reflect, and act.
