Q: (Initially posted July 15, 2004) FROM STUDENT
MEMBER ALISSA F. In INDIANA
I am interested in aeronautical engineering and am planning
to study that in
college and later work at NASA, hopefully in Mission Control.
I was wondering
what I should be doing now, as a high school junior, to help
jump start my
career? I am taking classes related to aeronautics, but is there
any internships
or other opportunities for me? |
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July 27, 2004
Additional information from MENOTR JEANINE BROSCH IN INDIANA
In addition to my previous response, I recieved the following
from my friend that worked for NASA (Jeni Glassley):
"You might want to add this website: http://education.jsc.nasa.gov/students.cfm
It highlights all of the programs that NASA offers. Oh, and
most Mission Control employees actually work for a company
called United Space Alliance, or USA at: http://www.unitedspacealliance.com/."
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July 23, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR JEANINE BROSCH
IN INDIANA
A roommate and friend of mine in College at Purdue University,
was in the Electrical Engineering program and co-op'd with
NASA. Co-op'ing is a little like internships except the student
and the company agree to a work schedule every other semester
so you get almost 2 years of work experience while your in
college. It also extends your graduation by a year and you
are either working or in school every summer BUT it is a huge
boost for your career and you graduate with a huge advantage
over those that don't participate in the program. The Co-op
program with various schools has diminished over the years
due to the economy but it is still in place. I would call
HR at NASA and ask which schools they ACTIVELY pursue students
for internships and co-op terms. Companies are required to
sign contracts with the schools they solicit for Co-op engineers
so it's important to know who they've signed up with. Also,
Purdue's aeronautical Engineering graduate program is rated
6th in the U.S. by U.S. News.
In the meantime, here is an article on the "Vomit Comet",
another activity my friend participated in through Purdue.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/generalscience/vomit_comet_811.html
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July 21, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR BRENDA WOLFE IN
CO
Alissa,
Take AP Physics.
Most colleges do offer some internships - but probably more
of a summer program for high school kids. Check with your
local universities to see what they offer for next summer.
You might see what is available through Wright Air Force Base
on Ohio. Once you are in college, corporations do offer internships
where you can work while you go to school.
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