NARRATOR>> How can we provide STEM opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups?
Here at Goddard, Internal Research and Development is funding a
program for high school students to come do innovative research with
NASA heliophysics scientists. MIN>> Our school has a special program
called Science and Technology, and an option is you can
have an internship at a research institute, and I chose
to do NASA. CHRISTIAN>> At my school we have a corporate work-study program, so everybody
goes to work one day a week. Last year, the junior year, when we started covering
stuff about the Sun, after school my teacher kinda told me more about it, and it
kinda set me up for that position. NARRATOR>> The Heliophysics Work-Study
and Academic Year Internship Program compares the effectiveness of
Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School's work-study program and Eleanor
Roosevelt High School's STEM Academic Year Research Experience Program.
In both cases, the students get to have exciting new learning
experiences. GEORGIA>> My students that I'm mentoring have been focusing on
using images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory
to identify jets, and we're trying to understand
together how these particles are escaping the Sun. They're looking at these images,
they have to decipher between various phenomena on
the SUn, and really identify specific jets that are associated
with events that we see in space at the same time.
MIN>> I realized that working at NASA was not all about lab coats and beakers.
Now I know how to do statistical analysis on my data. I can
now actually write a research paper. CHRISTIAN>> I think aerospace engineering
is what I'll most likely do in college, either that or physics. I'm really hoping to go to
St. Louis University next near. I think this program was a huge help
in getting into these programs, because my GPA I wouldn't say is the greatest. Coming to
these colleges with a background of research is a huge help.
GEORGIA>> The value of working with students like this is really two-fold.
One, I benefit from the enthusiasm they bring, and also just
a new perspective that they bring as well. Also, they
are getting some of the work done, which is fabulous. NARRATOR>> Benefits
for the mentors, benefits for the students - the Heliophysics Work-Study
and Academic Year Internship Program is opening doors for
underserved demographics of students and is great for everyone involved.
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