Seattle Central student Jessica Coleman selected by NASA as National Community College Aerospace Scholar Joins other scholars for chance to design space rovers, visit Jet Propulsion Laboratory
SEATTLE — Seattle Central Community College student Jessica Coleman will be traveling to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. for a chance to design robotic rovers, April 27-29, 2011.
As a recently selected National Community College Aerospace Scholar, Coleman is the only student from a Washington state college and among 80 other scholars nationwide who will be participating in a variety of hands-on experiences at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Participants were selected based on completion of Web-based assignments during the school year. The students will establish teams and form fictitious companies pursuing Mars exploration. Each team will shape a company infrastructure to develop and design a prototype rover. The on-site experience includes a tour of NASA facilities and briefings from agency scientists, engineers and astronauts.
“This innovative experience allows students to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to technical questions in the real world, simulating what NASA engineers and scientists do every day,” said Leland Melvin, NASA associate administrator for education. “It will help them develop the skills they need to be the problem-solving explorers of tomorrow.”
Coleman is the second Seattle Central student selected as a NASA aerospace scholar. In April, Ashley Allman completed a 15-week Robonaut Tool Development Project at Johnson Space Center.
More about Jessica Coleman
Coleman will be graduating from Seattle Central in June with an Associate of Science Transfer degree with an emphasis in Engineering. She plans to continue her studies in the Department of Electrical Engineering with concentrations in Large Scale Power Systems and Sustainable Electric Energy at the University of Washington.
“I have always been awed by space,” said Ms. Coleman. “My husband and I take out the telescope whenever we get a clear night in Seattle, to look at the planets and stars. I remember endless summer nights in the Midwest staring at Orion’s belt, and the first time I saw the moons around Jupiter, I could actually see them move. It was so cool. I also remember watching the shuttle launches when they were regularly broadcast. NASA inspired me to look into the future, and their projects continue to give me a sense of awe about the universe.”
Eventually, Ms. Coleman would like to do research in renewable energy at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO and design power systems for NASA space crafts.
For a complete list of the students, their states and the community colleges they represent, visit: nasa.gov.