|
A letter from the Kansas Space Grant Consortium student at NASA Academy Intern, Goddard Space Flight Center, Summer 2003
The NASA Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t think of another summer program where you experience working on a challenging individual project, learn to work with a highly interactive and motivated team, and gain exposure in space communities spanning the nation.
At Goddard I was given an open-ended design project. The project goals and specifications were provided, and I had the freedom to devise my own unique and creative solution. Unfortunately I ran into time constraints, but I was in the process of manufacturing a prototype of my design for testing.
Along with the individual project, the academy students must work together on a group project. The students are given the topic of the project, but are allowed to choose what scientific goals within that topic they want to pursue. Throughout our project, I was able to meet and talk with the top scientist in the world pertaining to our research subject. Speakers were flown in from out of state, just to talk with our group.
The third aspect of the academy, and the one I felt helped me grow the most, was the lecture and field trip series. Throughout the summer, NASA brought in the top leaders in the space field to give presentations and lectures. The Academy also took many trips to other space institutions around the US. During the summer I made trips to Johnson, Kennedy, Langley, Applied Physics Lab, Wallops, along with other facilities.
As you can see, the Academy is a very exciting and challenging experience. It is truly a unique and rewarding summer intern program.
Scott Liddle
|
