A student at El Camino College in Torrance has been selected to travel to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center this fall to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS).
Adrian Aviña Sanchez is among 304community college students from across the U.S. to be part of NCAS.
A student at El Camino College in Torrance has been selected to travel to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center this fall to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS).
Adrian Aviña Sanchez is among 304community college students from across the U.S. to be part of NCAS.
The five-week scholars program culminates with a four-day, on-site event at Armstrong Flight Research Center, and offers students the opportunity to interact with NASA engineers and others as they learn more about careers in science and engineering.
While at NASA, students will form teams and establish fictional companies interested in Mars exploration. Each team is responsible for developing and testing a prototype rover, forming a company infrastructure, managing a budget, and developing communications and outreach.
The on-site experience at NASA includes a tour of facilities and briefings by NASA subject matter experts.
NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars is a project funded in part by the Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP. This program is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in authentic learning experiences to sustain a diverse workforce.
With this activity, NASA continues the agency’s tradition engaging the nation in NASA’s mission.
“NCAS not only inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, but it also opens doors for future careers at NASA. NCAS has a legacy of alumni moving from NASA internships to and ultimately entering the NASA workforce. It is rewarding to see the progression of a student from NCAS participant to NASA colleague,” said Joeletta Patrick, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Manager
For additional information, contact National Community College Aerospace Scholars by email at JSC-NCAS@mail.nasa.gov or by phone at 281-483-0493. For more information, visit: http://ncas.aerospacescholars.org/
For more on MUREP visit: www.nasa.gov/education/murep
By Gary Kohatsu
