Four IVC students wrapped up their participation in NASA's highly competitive Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program last month. The program gives community college students a NASA experience. The four participating IVC students were Mary Campbell, Franz Kieviet, Chathuri Palanivelu, and Nima Sadeghi. (Pictured left to right: Chathuri Palanivelu, Franz Kieviet, Mary Campbell)
NCAS gives s
cholars the opportunity to interact and network with NASA engineers and scientists, which could become a stepping stone for a future career in STEM. As part of the program, students participated in a prerequisite module in which they took a closer look at NASA's various missions, diverse workforce, and world-class facilities. They also learned how to develop their skills to become future STEM professionals.
“The NCAS virtual on-site was a very fun and educational experience,” says Palanivelu. “I got to meet people of so many different backgrounds and work with them on something exciting. I would highly recommend STEM students to participate in NCAS!”
Students were tested on their knowledge, attended workshops from NASA engineers and scientists, and had to create a 10-page report. Campbell chose to craft her report on in-situ resource utilization. From there, only the top-scoring students, moved on to a virtual NCAS experience. Typically, this would be in person at one of NASA’s space centers for five days. However, due to the pandemic, students participated virtually, working closely with NASA engineers and scientists.
Kieviet says, “I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to participate in this program as I met so many amazing people who really opened my eyes to what is possible and new ways to approach problems. NCAS held so many really amazing lectures/talks that provided me with so much life and career advice!”
Learn more about NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars.