NASA and FSRI Provide Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI) has partnered with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to sponsor the Spaceflight and Lunar Sciences and Technology Program (SLSTP), which will offer internships during the summer of 2006 for undergraduate and graduate students at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.  The program will provide exciting applied technology and research-oriented apprenticeships for up to 27 high-achieving students from Florida and other states.

“Workforce education and training issues are consistently among the top concerns of Florida’s aerospace industry employers,” said Florida Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, chair of the Commission on the Future of Space & Aeronautics in Florida.  “Partnering with Kennedy Space Center to create technology apprenticeship opportunities for students makes sense for both the state and NASA.” NASA will be accepting applications for SLSTP students beginning in January 2006.  The program targets high-achieving students and emphasizes racial, gender, and socioeconomic diversity. “Some of NASA’s most talented engineers and scientists began their careers with the agency as interns under the SLSTP program,” said KSC education chief Dr. Gregg Buckingham.  “We are pleased to partner with FSRI to expand the program’s focus in 2006, adding exploration-based internships and establishing SLSTP as part of FSRI’s program to expand and diversify Florida’s aerospace industry workforce.”

FSRI’s role will include recruiting and sponsoring Florida university students to participate in the program, and sponsoring one or more Florida K-12 teachers to support SLSTP educational objectives.  Other partners include Tuskegee University, the Canadian Space Agency, and Dynamac Corp.  Undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the hard sciences and engineering disciplines should visit http://www.slstp.nasa.gov for information and to complete an application.