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Forty-two students participated in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars event at the Stennis Space Center. (Photo source: WLOX)
Dozens of engineers tomorrow, working out real life problems today.
Forty-two students from across the country took part in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars event at the Stennis Space Center. They teamed up and worked to build a miniature mobile that must then perform a number of tasks like Mars.
Mitch Krell is leading the program that has been going on for over two decades.
"We're taking academics from across the country to do a huge five-week online program where they have to do some research," Krell said. "They go through different modules, they do tests, they do a project at the end, they succeed in doing all that and they're in the top group, they're invited to an on-site experience from NASA. "
He sees this as a way to teach young people the exciting challenges that NASA faces, as well as to look toward the future of the program. "We use this program to get students into the fold of NASA, the NASA family," said Krell. "And that's our next generation recruitment method."
This process seems to have worked for Ryan Etheridge, a student from Collins and a student at East Central Community College. "For me, I was always safe from cyber security or programming like this," Etheridge said. "So coming to NASA and seeing all this stuff and programming the rovers, you know, it really pushed me to NASA and I think I will probably lean towards NASA in my career choice."
Stephanie Popielarz of Elgin Illinois is hoping to become an aerospace engineer. She says this trip cemented that dream for her. "It's amazing," Popielarz said. "We attended a rocket test just a few hours ago and it inspired me so much that I followed what I was doing and felt pushed to transfer to the camera. university.
That's exactly what Krell hopes to accomplish with the program. "Some of the people who are going to Mars or who are going to develop things to go to Mars are currently in this room," said Krell.
At the end of the program, each team completed exercises with their robots in a friendly competition.
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