 She earned a chemistry degree from Ohio State University and later studied metallurgy at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, and University of California, Los Angeles.She later worked for 22 years at the Aluminum Company of America, where as a research metallurgist she identified materials for military vehicles and engineering projects used in World War II.In 1961, Brennecke joined NASA, where she worked on the Saturn rocket program as a welding expert, contributing her expertise focused on gas tungsten arc welding and metal inert gas welding processes.