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Mundaka

Banned

Registered: 2004-01-11

Posts: 322

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

Not quite sure if this is the best area to put this, but it seemed most logical.

Just got back from a NASA presentation at the local university, and it seems NASA is worried about a dearth of science and engineering majors in the near future (apparently the numbers are not good at all); therefore, NASA is putting together a program to be implemented in fall of 2005.

NASA will pay the full four year tuition of selected students in science and engineering and -- if you choose -- a masters and P.hD. as well. In exchange you have to spend 4 years working at NASA. If you choose to work somewhere else or don't finish, you pay NASA back three times what they paid for your education. Private schools are ok, as are community colleges.

You can start in any undergrad year, but it is expected to be competitive. In addition to GPA they will be choosing based on a demonstrated interest in the space program, such as attendance at Space Camp, or some other NASA program for young people.

EDIT: Morris, here is the website, unfortunately its a bit sparse on information (the presentation at school was pretty much a first unveiling of the program):
http://education.nasa.gov/divisions/hig … ...ip.html

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Macte nova virtute, sic itur ad astra

Morris

Banned

From: Little Rock, Arkansas

Registered: 2004-07-16

Posts: 218

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

Not quite sure if this is the best area to put this, but it seemed most logical.

Just got back from a NASA presentation at the local university, and it seems NASA is worried about a dearth of science and engineering majors in the near future (apparently the numbers are not good at all); therefore, NASA is putting together a program to be implemented in fall of 2005.

NASA will pay the full four year tuition of selected students in science and engineering, plus masters and P.hD., in exchange for 4 years working at NASA. If you choose to work somewhere else or don't finish, you pay NASA back three times what they paid for your education. Private schools are ok.

You can start in any undergrad year, but it is expected to be competitive. In addition to GPA they will be choosing based on a demonstrated interest in the space program, such as attendance at Space Camp, or some other NASA program for young people.

Oh, if I were only young again...!

Did they happen to give a web site that could be distributed to the local high schools and colleges?

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

The only problem is that Nasa has to few work sites near colleges or universities. In NH we has a few good colleges and the UNH campus in Durham. Which by the way has done some probes for Nasa in the past but aside from that there is little need for the engineering degrees unfortunately since few jobs would require such knowledge.

The main engineering skills are in construction of buildings, Road bridges, high tech electronic or defense related firms and most recently in the biotech field.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

Education for space catching the interest of todays youths: Fayetteville: University launches degree program for space and planetary

To earn the degrees at UA, students must take classes in six areas: biological sciences, chemical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry, geosciences, mechanical engineering and physics.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

NASA Offers Prizes to Students with Revolutionary Ideas

NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is offering up to four $9,000 fellowships to students with ideas that can dramatically advance the Vision for Space Exploration. The NIAC Student Fellows Prize program provides opportunities for creative college students to develop revolutionary advanced concepts in aeronautics, space, and the sciences.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe teachers get a boost from conference with NASA personnel

Over the years, astronauts and those who study the heavens have always captured the imagination and interest of students enrolled in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe.

But lately the relationship between DODDS and the National Space and Aeronautics Administration has reached new heights.

On Saturday, two NASA personnel sat down with DODDS educators for a daylong professional development course designed to further the system’s science curriculum, from the elementary level to high school.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

While the old will eventually be replace by the young it is the knowledge they have that not always does it get passed on.

Let’s pass knowledge on – NASA

NASA is to hold courses for its employees, contractors and university students to ensure their knowledge is passed on to the next generation of engineers.

Fifteen key areas, including flight sciences, robotic flight operations and systems engineering, will be covered in the courses, held on US university campuses during the rest of this year.

NASA is running the courses – known as the NASA Engineering and Safety Centre (NESC) Academy – in partnership with the National Institute of Aerospace. The aim is to ensure the knowledge of experienced staff is effectively conveyed to current and future NASA engineers.

“NESC Academy presents an outstanding opportunity to pass on lessons learned and best practices from seasoned NASA experts to the current and future NASA workforce,” says Dr Marcia Gibson, NESC Academy programme director.

Visit www.nescacademy.org

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

It would seem that Nasa has more trouble than couping with budgets and Katrina when it fails to follow though with the one thing that might have saved it in the future.
NASA Continues to Abandon Education Programs

Reader comment: "Since this summer when my note concerning the possible cutting of the NASA Student Involvement Program was posted on NASA Watch, I was contacted by over 130 teachers who wanted to help. They all agreed to write letters to senators/reps/etc. We heard back from 3 senators who all said they would do what they could to support the program. Sadly, the NASA Student Involvement Program was cut completely."

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

Calling all teachers pay attention... Here is your chance to get your students interested in the vision..

NASA and OfficeMax Bring Space Exploration Down to Earth

Teachers and other space enthusiasts can either print the materials themselves or click the new OfficeMax icon on the NASA Web site. The materials will be professionally copied and collated for delivery, shipping or available for next-day pick up at the nearest OfficeMax store.

Nasa educational page.

or go to this page
Nasa office of Education

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: NASA Education - Interesting Offer

It Really Is Rocket Science

the hard truth is that young Americans are not being motivated or challenged to go into the sciences, engineering or math. Neither No Child Left Behind nor state initiatives, such as Florida's A-Plus Education plan, are especially geared toward inducing more young people to go into those disciplines. Meanwhile, the global competition for high-tech jobs is increasingly being won by nations that produce skilled workers. China, India and even Russia are all turning out more math, science and engineering grads than does America.

Retooling the schools to get sufficient numbers of young Americans back into those fields will take years. In the meantime, America may have to increasingly import the talent to keep ahead of its emerging global competitors.

There are states that turn out many such people but with a lack of these type jobs in there markets of employment there will be no real increase from those states for this need of Nasa.
It is a visious circle in that to get an entry level job one usually must have had experience in that particular job.