Across Goddard\u2019s campuses, more than 300 on-site and virtual interns spend the 10-week program contributing across all manners of disciplines, science, engineering, finance, communications, and many more. From helping engineers who will send new space telescopes into orbit, to communicating NASA\u2019s scientific discoveries to the world, this cohort of interns hopes to bring their new ideas and perspectives to Goddard this summer.<\/p>\n
![\"200](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/goddard-orientation.jpeg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>The Artemis Generation Takes Flight<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis group of interns is part of the Artemis Generation: they come to NASA near the culmination of the campaign that will return humanity to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just excited to contribute to Artemis,\u201d said Kate Oberlander, who just graduated from UCLA in aerospace engineering. \u201cWe\u2019ll be helping connect communications between the Moon and Earth for the Artemis campaign, and that is so monumental. That\u2019s exciting to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to work on their projects, interns also have networking opportunities where they can meet current NASA employees and learn about careers in aerospace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been really enjoying getting to know my fellow interns, and also getting that professional development alongside technical skills,\u201d said Oberlander, who plans on returning to UCLA to earn her master\u2019s degree and learn more about optics, electromagnetics, and space exploration. She said her internship this summer will bring all her favorite subjects together.<\/p>\n
Down to Earth: Interns Work Across Fields<\/strong><\/h3>\nInterns at Goddard take on a diverse set of projects across many disciplines. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of learning \u2014 but I love learning. I\u2019m like a sponge,\u201d said Addie Colwell, an environmental science student at the University of Vermont.<\/p>\n
Colwell\u2019s internship focuses on stormwater management at Goddard. \u201cWe have to renovate the embankment of the stormwater pond,\u201d Colwell said. \u201cI\u2019m assessing how that\u2019s going to impact the wildlife there. It\u2019s a lot of species identification and research.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma Stefanacci, a science communication master\u2019s student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will be working on the astrophysics social media team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to see what social media looks like, as I haven\u2019t been able to play in that realm of communications before,\u201d said Stefanacci. She will help develop a campaign for the launch anniversary of XRISM<\/a>, a telescope collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/wallops-orientation.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThis summer, NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia\u2019s Eastern Shore also hosts a diverse intern cohort, some of whom are shown here in the Range Control Center. Goddard manages Wallops on behalf of NASA.<\/div>\nCredit: NASA\/Pat Benner<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWorking on the Next Generation of Space Discovery<\/strong><\/h3>\nKevin Mora is a student at Arizona State University studying computer science. Mora is working on several projects this summer, one of them focusing on pipeline coding in Python to help engineers working on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. \u201cIt\u2019s literally like a pipeline \u2014 just moving data from here to there,\u201d Mora said. \u201cIt helps the engineers that are building Roman get stuff done faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Roman Space Telescope<\/a> is the next in line to carry on the Hubble and Webb legacy. Roman will have a much wider field of view than the space telescopes preceding it, giving scientists a bigger picture of the universe, and hopefully telling us more about dark matter and dark energy. Many interns are working on this space telescope, which is expected to launch by 2027.<\/p>\nAlongside new faces in this year\u2019s program, some interns are returning to NASA for repeat sessions. Cord Mazzetti, a recent electrical engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, will be continuing work on quantum clock synchronization that he began researching at Goddard last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be back here at NASA and to be able to dive into my work even faster,\u201d said Mazzetti.<\/p>\n
In-person Orientation Returns to Campus<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe interns\u2019 orientation was the first to be held in-person since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Laura Schmidt, an internships specialist in NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was thrilling to welcome our incredible group of interns and host our first onsite summer orientation in five years,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cThe energy was palpable as we welcomed nearly 200 interns onsite at Goddard, and I have no doubt that the stage is set for a fantastic summer ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Avery Truman and Matthew Kaufman<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Interns at Goddard take on a diverse set of projects across many disciplines. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of learning \u2014 but I love learning. I\u2019m like a sponge,\u201d said Addie Colwell, an environmental science student at the University of Vermont.<\/p>\n
Colwell\u2019s internship focuses on stormwater management at Goddard. \u201cWe have to renovate the embankment of the stormwater pond,\u201d Colwell said. \u201cI\u2019m assessing how that\u2019s going to impact the wildlife there. It\u2019s a lot of species identification and research.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma Stefanacci, a science communication master\u2019s student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will be working on the astrophysics social media team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to see what social media looks like, as I haven\u2019t been able to play in that realm of communications before,\u201d said Stefanacci. She will help develop a campaign for the launch anniversary of XRISM<\/a>, a telescope collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).<\/p>\n Kevin Mora is a student at Arizona State University studying computer science. Mora is working on several projects this summer, one of them focusing on pipeline coding in Python to help engineers working on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. \u201cIt\u2019s literally like a pipeline \u2014 just moving data from here to there,\u201d Mora said. \u201cIt helps the engineers that are building Roman get stuff done faster.\u201d<\/p>\n The Roman Space Telescope<\/a> is the next in line to carry on the Hubble and Webb legacy. Roman will have a much wider field of view than the space telescopes preceding it, giving scientists a bigger picture of the universe, and hopefully telling us more about dark matter and dark energy. Many interns are working on this space telescope, which is expected to launch by 2027.<\/p>\n Alongside new faces in this year\u2019s program, some interns are returning to NASA for repeat sessions. Cord Mazzetti, a recent electrical engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, will be continuing work on quantum clock synchronization that he began researching at Goddard last summer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be back here at NASA and to be able to dive into my work even faster,\u201d said Mazzetti.<\/p>\n The interns\u2019 orientation was the first to be held in-person since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Laura Schmidt, an internships specialist in NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was thrilling to welcome our incredible group of interns and host our first onsite summer orientation in five years,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cThe energy was palpable as we welcomed nearly 200 interns onsite at Goddard, and I have no doubt that the stage is set for a fantastic summer ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n By Avery Truman and Matthew Kaufman<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>Working on the Next Generation of Space Discovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n
In-person Orientation Returns to Campus<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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