30 Under 30: Andrew Minor

Engineer

Words by James Phillips | Images by Justin Hunter

At only 28-years-old, Andrew Minor has already made an impact not only locally, but globally, working on projects for NASA and the United States Department of Defense. 

Minor, a 2013 graduate of Cordova High School, received an associate degree at Bevill State Community College as well as a bachelor’s degree of science in mechanical engineering and master’s in science from the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH).

He was later awarded a NASA fellowship, where he conducted research for the Artemis-1 program for two years. 

“My research helped determine an optimum material that could withstand the heavy thermal load experienced in flight, strong enough to handle heavy static and dynamic loads, and light enough to not exceed the strict weight requirement for a space vehicle. My research aided in the decision to use a particular material in certain portions of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Spacecraft,” Minor said. 

Minor began working for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), an intelligence component of the Department of Defense, in 2018. He says that working with the DOD allows him to make an impact on a much larger scale by ensuring national civilian and defense policymakers are equipped with the information they need to maintain a strategic advantage over foreign adversaries, which ultimately protects warfighters and U.S. assets—“This drives me to be the best that I can in my occupation, because there's potentially a lot at stake,” he says.

In addition to his job at DIA, he began working for Total Design Engineering, an engineering firm that designs mechanical, electrical, and plumbing designs for commercial and residential buildings. In 2022, he started Huntsville-based Minor Engineering, where he, as a licensed professional engineer, provides engineering consulting services. He says he’s primarily used his company for construction project monitoring and lender representation in commercial builds but remains open to any engineering service he feels comfortable doing.

No matter the project, the mission remains the same.

“When I decided to become an engineer, I simply wanted to make an impact on society by using my God-given abilities.” 78