Lake Area Technical College Students Selected to Participate in NASA Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 23, 2017
WATERTOWN – Lake Area Technical College students Aric Leadabrand of Watertown, Dustin Wickert of Crooks, and Thomas Scarberry of Watertown, have been selected to travel to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi this October to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS). They are three of 304 community college students from across the United States to be part of NCAS.
The five-week scholars program culminates with a four-day on-site event at Stennis Space Center and offers students the opportunity to interact with NASA engineers and others as they learn more about careers in science and engineering. While at NASA, students form teams and establish fictional companies interested in Mars exploration. Each team is responsible for developing and testing a prototype rover, forming a company infrastructure, managing a budget, and developing communications and outreach. The on-site experience at NASA includes a tour of facilities and briefings by NASA subject matter experts.
“We are extremely grateful to the leadership and instruction provided at Lake Area Technical College by both the Electronics Systems Technology and the Robotics programs, where all three of us are working toward dual majors in the programs,” Wickert said on behalf of the student trio.
NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars is a project funded in part by the Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP, which is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in authentic learning experiences to sustain a diverse workforce.
With this activity, NASA continues the agency’s tradition engaging the nation in NASA’s mission.
“NCAS not only inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, but it also opens doors for future careers at NASA. NCAS has a legacy of alumni moving from NASA internships to and ultimately entering the NASA workforce. It is rewarding to see the progression of a student from NCAS participant to NASA colleague.” Joeletta Patrick, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Manager
For more information, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/murep/projects/ncas.html
Photo:
Back row ROB/EST instructors Mathew Weinzirl, Bob Poor, Brooks Jacobsen, and Tim Moes. Front row ROB/EST students Dustin Wickert, Aric Leadabrand and Thomas Scarberry.
