Tennessee Student Accepted For Unique NASA Internship At Goddard Space Flight Center

Tom Luce, a Tennessee Tech student from Kingsport, Tenn., is spending this summer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md. as a participant in the prestigious NASA Student Internship Program (SIP). In his senior year, Luce is a mechanical engineering major.

SIP is designed for the exceptional student majoring in engineering, science or other related aerospace studies. Each participant is assigned a NASA scientist or engineer as a mentor and assists the mentor with his or her ongoing research. Students are expected to complete several hundred hours of research and present a research project before audience of their peers and NASA personnel.

“I have always been interested in the aerospace industry,” Luce said. “This seemed like an amazing opportunity to gain a broader understanding of engineering and an appreciation for my field of study.”

This year the program brings together 24 of this country’s best and brightest for cutting edge research. Areas of study include astrophysics, artificial intelligence, earth systems science, interplanetary physics, materials analysis, cryogenics, space communications and more.

“This is a wonderful experience for a student,” said Dr. Vigdor Teplitz, chief of Higher Education for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. “NASA’s space program is just about the greatest show on Earth if you are a technical person and having these young eager people with fresh points-of-view and questions is good for NASA. It makes a productive summer for all.”

With this program, NASA continues the agency’s tradition of investing in the nation’s education programs. It is directly tied to the agency’s major educational goal of strengthening NASA’s and the nation’s future workforce. Through this and the agency’s other college and university programs, NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities necessary for future space exploration.

The 10-week program runs now through Aug. 8.

News media should contact Dewayne Washington of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Public Affairs Office for additional information.

For more info about SIP go to: http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/sip.jsp