Seattle Central student Ashley Allman selected by NASA as National Community College Aerospace Scholar Joins other scholars for chance to design space rovers, visit Johnson Space Center
SEATTLE — Seattle Central Community College student Ashley Allman will be traveling to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a chance to design robotic space explorers, May 20-22, 2010.
As a recently selected National Community College Aerospace Scholar, Ms. Allman is one of two students from Washington state (the other is Nichole Porter from Edmonds Community College) and 76 nationwide who will be participating in a variety of hands-on experiences at the space center.
This event is the culmination of the National Community College Aerospace Scholars pilot program funded by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and administered by NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The program is designed to encourage community and junior college students to enter careers in science and engineering, and join the nation’s high technology workforce.
Students selected as National Community College Aerospace Scholars completed four Web-based assignments during the school year. Those who maintained a 95 average qualified for the experience at Johnson. NASA will pay the students’ travel expenses. Students will apply what they have learned during the year after interacting with NASA engineers and learn more about careers in science and engineering.
More about Ashley Allman
Ms. Allman will be graduating from Seattle Central in June with an Associate of Science Transfer degree with an emphasis in Engineering. She plans to continue at Seattle Central for another year before transferring to the Aeronautics/Astronautics department at the University of Washington. “I haven’t decided which path I would like to pursue because I have an equal interest in general aviation and space exploration alike,” she said. “I really enjoy flying, and am working on getting my private pilots license as I have an interest in working as an engineer or as a test pilot. But I also have an equal interest in working for NASA and being part of a team that will someday put a man or woman on Mars.”
Ashley has already had some experience in aeronautical engineering. While a junior at Auburn High School, she participated in a similar program called Washington Aerospace Scholars. Student scholars were invited to the Museum of Flight for a week of engineering challenges, including building a rover, a rocket, and designing a mission to Mars. “When I heard about the National Community College Aerospace Scholar program through Seattle Central’s Science and Mathematics division , I knew exactly what it was because of my experience in high school. I was very interested in joining another NASA-sponsored aerospace scholar program and applied immediately.”
After being accepted, Ms. Allman successfully completed the four Web-based projects, which included:
- An abstract giving an overview of the goals and objectives of a mission to Mars.
- Determining the timeline and budget for the mission.
- Writing a proposal for the robotics mission including the specifications of the rover.
- Designing the rover by creating a line drawing which included detailed specifications and parts labeled.
For a complete list of the students selected and the community colleges they represent, visit the National Community College Aerospace Scholars web page.
For more information visit NASA’s National Community College Aerospace Scholars page, or read NASA’s press release.