The MRover team would like to honor the memory of Jacqueline Tardif, a graduate of Michigan’s Aerospace Engineering Program and former MRover president, who passed away due to Covid-19 complications in January of 2021.

Jackie served as team lead from 2010 to 2013. She was extremely devoted to her work and was responsible for much of the team’s foundations in its early days. We owe MRover’s official establishment as a WSTPC team to Jackie as well as the funding needed to build the team’s first few rovers which she worked hard to amass.

Following her graduation, Jackie went on to work as a lead mechanical engineer for the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, designing and building satellites, two of which were launched into orbit from the International Space Station. Additionally, Jackie devoted herself to working with special needs children through horseback riding and STEM outreach programs in her spare time.

Jackie's full obituary as well as links to pages to make donations to Ride to Fly and the National Math and Science Initiative in Jackie's name can be found here.