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Santiago Sosa is no stranger to high-speed thinking. As a junior in Drexel’s accelerated BS/MS program in electrical and computer engineering, he thrives on the fast pace and constant innovation of his current co-op at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Labs (ATL)—a place where cutting-edge research is just part of the daily routine.

Working as a technical specialist and research engineer, Sosa splits his time between writing software for MIMO radar systems and physically assembling those same systems in the lab. Some days, he’s outdoors testing antennas and communications hardware; others, he’s deep in code or building devices from scratch. “It’s very versatile,” he says. “It keeps my mind at a high RPM.”

Sosa’s work at ATL integrates his classroom learning with real-world application—often pushing beyond it. “This really blends all my coursework,” he explains. “Physics, math, engineering theory, and coding—my co-op takes what we learn and turns it into the technology that will be taught in classrooms 10 or 20 years from now.”

That forward-looking mindset is part of what drew him to ATL in the first place. “As someone whose goal is to pursue a PhD and a career in academia, I wanted to see what research and development looks like in industry,” he says. “It can be chaotic—but that adds a sense of surprise. And working with other Lockheed Martin business areas, like Space or RMS, adds so much to the learning experience.”

The co-op has also deepened his understanding of project development and problem solving, especially within the constraints of real-world research. “You have to understand how to achieve an objective without overengineering or underperforming,” Sosa says. “That means designing solutions that actually solve the problem—without creating new ones in the process.”

Already pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering, Sosa plans to continue on to a PhD in optics, working with Drexel faculty member Dr. Adam Fontecchio. The co-op experience has helped cement that goal. “It’s solidified that research is what I want to do. ATL has shown me what high-performance, high-quality research looks like, and I’d like to one day run my own lab and operate at that same level.”

It’s also deepened his appreciation for the long-standing collaboration between Drexel and ATL—one that continues through students like Sosa and his co-op colleagues. “ATL has a history with Drexel,” he says. “It’s exciting to be a part of that.”