Applications for Upcoming Academies Due Jan. 15, 2008

Robotics Academies

The NASA Robotics Internship Program is a 10-week resident summer internship for students specifically interested in robotics. Students who have previously participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition, Botball, or have taken active interest in robotics in demonstrable ways are given priority. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who are rising freshmen or sophomores with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Interns are assigned to a team project and receive direct guidance from the Principal Investigator who sponsors the project. An advanced robotics student is assigned as team lead to guide interns and manage the project on a daily basis. The interns and team leads participate in enriching activities such as a group project, lectures, field trips and meetings with leaders in the field.

Internship opportunities are sponsored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. and Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C. The 2008 internship will take place in June-August. Applications are due Jan. 15, 2008.

For more information about the MSFC Robotics Academy, visit http://education.msfc.nasa.gov/Robotics/index.html .
For more information about the GSFC Robotics Academy, visit http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/robotics.jsp .

NASA Academy

The NASA Academy is an intensive, residential, ten-week summer leadership development program for university level students. Activities throughout the summer include laboratory research work, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, technical writing, and presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories and participate in leadership development and relationship building activities. Upon graduation, Academy participants are inducted into the NASA Academy Alumni Association, whose goal is to promote NASA, the NASA Academy, research and space education.

To be eligible to apply, students must be rising juniors or seniors at the undergraduate level or be at the early graduate level in an accredited U.S. college or university. Applicants must also be majoring in engineering, science, mathematics, computer science or other areas of interest to NASA. They must have a minimum of a B average. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens or permanent residents as of May 2008. Students with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation services. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are due Jan. 15, 2008.  For more information and to apply online, visit http://academy.nasa.gov/

50th Anniversary of Explorer 1 Conference on Jan. 26-27, 2008

January 31, 2008, marks the 50th anniversary of Explorer 1, the United States’ first artificial satellite. Explorer 1 was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. To commemorate this milestone, JPL is hosting the 50th Anniversary of Explorer 1 Conference on Jan. 26-27, 2008. Lead by JPL’s Historian Dr. Erik Conway, this educator conference will feature a series of speakers describing the political, technical, educational and social context of the time. An Explorer 1 documentary produced for the anniversary by JPL Executive Council member and Emmy Award-winning producer Blaine Baggett will be screened.

Science and social studies educators, museum staff and high school students are invited to attend the event. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; it will not be possible to register at the door. High school students and above may attend. Students must register and youths under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult during the conference.

A registration fee of $40 will offset costs including materials and food (continental breakfasts and morning breaks both days; box lunch and afternoon break on Saturday).  The registration deadline is Jan. 22, 2008. For more information, visit http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events.html  

Internship Applications Cloe on January 14, 2008 for the Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP)

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is administering The Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). NREIP is a ten week summer research opportunity for undergraduate Juniors & Seniors, and Graduate students, under the guidance of a mentor, at a participating Navy Laboratory (list of participating universities is available at http://www.asee.org/nreip ). The stipend amounts for the program are $5,500 for undergraduate students and $6,500 for graduate students. U.S. citizenship required; Permanent residents accepted at certain labs.

To learn more about the program, you can visit http://www.asee.org/nreip . Direct any questions to nreip@asee.org .