Background

The United States and NASA are currently facing a critical workforce shortage in the science, engineering and technology fields. The Undergraduate Student Research Program was established to help meet critical STEM workforce competency needs.

The purpose of the NASA's Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) is three-fold:

1. To extend and strengthen NASA's commitment to educational excellence and university research, highlighting the critical need to increase our nation's undergraduate and graduate science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skill base.
2. To build a national program bridge - from existing NASA K-12 Education Program activities to NASA Higher Education Program options - that encourages and facilitates student interest in future professional opportunities with NASA and its partner organizations. Such opportunities might include NASA career employment, temporary assignments, undergraduate and graduate co-op appointments, Space Grant scholarships and fellowships, or contractor positions.
3. To attract STEM undergraduate students from the widest array of backgrounds who are fully representative of America's racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity and to provide them with immersive, hands-on, challenging research experiences that stimulate continued student interest in the fields/disciplines aligned with NASA's research and development mission.

Solution

NASA's Undergraduate Student Research Program, managed by USRA, gives U.S. students the opportunity to apply for STEM immersive opportunities and if chosen, intern at one of 12 NASA centers and research facilities. The year-round comprehensive program encourages rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors seeking technical degrees (science, engineering, math) who are enrolled full-time from any accredited college or university to apply for USRP. Once selected, students are assigned to a participating NASA center for a 10 to 15 week internship where they will receive hands-on technical and research experience alongside a NASA mentor. In fact, most students work on practical problems that will see real applications in aerospace or on future NASA missions.

Results

In 2008, the USRP program grew from 100 student internships to over 300 student internships making it the largest agency-wide internship program today. Below are a few updates from USRP alumni.

Johanna Goforth, USRP Alumna - Spring 2008

Ms. Goforth, a mathematics graduate from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, TX completed her USRP internship last spring. While an intern at Johnson Space Center, Ms. Goforth further developed her engineering skills while working hands-on with NASA engineers. Ms. Goforth is now a Project Engineer with Lockheed Martin.

Adam Rawlin, USRP Alumnus - Fall 2008

Mr. Rawlin, an electrical engineering student from Utah State University, UT completed his USRP internship last fall. Through his internship, Mr. Rawlin was able to apply knowledge that he had previously gained from his classes and explore a variety of areas that he had not yet had the opportunity to study. Mr. Rawlin recently accepted an offer to continue his work at Johnson Space Center as an Avionics Systems Engineer with the EV2 division.