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Audrey Oravetz is an instrumental figure in astronomical instrumentation, whose hands-on expertise has been critical to the success of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s fifth generation (SDSS-V). Her primary research areas center on the design, implementation, and maintenance of high-performance optical systems for wide-field spectroscopy. Oravetz’s major contributions include leading the on-sky validation of SDSS-V’s new wide-field corrector—a three-element lens system that replaced the previous two-element design, improving infrared performance and eliminating the aspherical focal surface. This work, detailed in her 2022 paper, directly enabled SDSS-V’s multi-object spectroscopic capabilities. She also pioneered the field retermination of high-fiber-count MTP connectors for the APOGEE spectrograph at Apache Point Observatory, documenting critical lessons on connector wear and fiber throughput that have become a reference for similar upgrades at other observatories. While her most-cited papers each hold 3 citations, their practical impact is far greater: they represent the technical backbone of one of astronomy’s most productive surveys. Oravetz’s blend of optical engineering and field-tested problem-solving makes her a vital contributor to modern survey astronomy.