NASA Internship (2010)
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Edwin Wintucky and Zachary Baker during 2010 NASA Internship |
In March 2010, I was selected by NASA to be an intern as part of their "Paid Residential Internship" under their Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience (INSPIRE). The INSPIRE program is a program for students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
I was selected as one of only seven participants selected for this highly competitive program for the six states served by my NASA facilty, the Glenn Research Center (GRC). GRC serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. As a paid, residential program I lived at Case Western Reserve University and worked at NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, OH for 8-weeks during the summer.
I was selected by my mentor, Edwin Wintucky of the Electron and Opto-Electronic Devices Branch, to assist in the testing of cutting-edge, high speed microwave communication equipment being developed for future deep space data communications. Mr. Wintucky was a very patient mentor, explaining every aspect of the project and the equipment. (Photos)
It was a great experience that let me apply my classroom knowledge in math, science, and computers in a real world environment and to work as a member of a team. I was impressed with the NASA mentors and appreciated how they treated me, not as a high school student but a contributing member of the team. It was exciting to use my problem solving skills and to contribute to such an amazing project.
Additionally, NASA arranged for special STEM related activities in the evenings and on the weekends. Some of these activities included visiting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the US Air Force (at Wright-Patterson), tours of NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) , and the Great Lakes Science Center. Some of these trips included special access to areas not available to the public.
These tours, meeting with astronauts, and working hands-on in a lab with engineers solving real-world problems really opened my eyes to what engineers do and how I can utilize my passion for math, science, and computers in my future career. I am hooked and can't wait!