Robotics Molds Students Into Professional Triple Threats

Historic Mission Control

Flew humans to the Moon with less computing power than your smart phone.

Space Habitat Simulator in The HIVE lab.

How to Work for NASA: Tips from a NASA Intern

Working for NASA is a life long dream for those who grew up building LEGO space stations, watching Space Shuttle launches and admiring Apollo Era heroes. Transforming this childhood dream into reality is more complicated than handing your resume to the right person but more straightforward than receiving a classified invite from an intelligence agent. I will share the many avenues of becoming a part of interstellar exploration discovered during my time interning at NASA. Ramen to Rockets NASA has two primary avenues for current college students to get involved - OSSI Internships and thePathways Internship program (Co-Op). OSSI (One Stop Shopping Initiative) is the main source for internships, fellowships and scholarship opportunities at various NASA centers. An internship is a semester long program where you work alongside professionals in your discipline, get paid in a stipend and do meaningful work that advances NASA’s mission. Some interns have been invited to join NASA full-time but is not common. A Pathways Internship (Co-Op) is similar to an OSSI Internship except a Co-Op is sworn in as a US Government Civil Servant, paid bi-weekly, receive benefits of a Civil Servant, and flip-flops between semesters studying at college and working at NASA. Some Co-Ops extend their flip-flopping into grad school. NASA’s primary pipelines for full-time Civil Servants is the Pathways Intern (Co-Op) program. I shared in great detail what the Co-Op program is and how to apply in this three part blog series. The phrase “college student” may spur images of a microwavable ramen zapping Millennial but NASA’s college programs are great for every kind of college student! OSSI and Co-Op students are parents, veterans, Millennials, experienced in industry and more. Cold Call Nothing can stop you from simply applying to a full-time position at a NASA center. I call it a “Cold Call” because this isn’t a pipeline program driven process. Go on USAJobs and search “NASA” and pages of positions will appear. Applying in this manner may feel like tossing your resume into a black hole. With stellar related experience in aerospace industry, research, military or start up work this method of applying may just work! I share how to use the USAJobs resume builder in this post. Alternatively, an extreme way to join NASA is to become an astronaut. I shared tips on the astronaut application processhere. Note that becoming an astronaut is the least probable way to work at NASA. Space Contract The majority of individuals working onsite at NASA centers are actually contractors. This means they are employed by private companies that NASA collaborates with on projects. Some of many contractors are Lockheed, Boeing, Jacobs, and System Technologies Group (STG). Projects that contractors work on include Orion, Space Launch System, propulsion testing, and International Space Station maintenance. A private company may have a contract to build a part or system and do so offsite at their respective facility. Contractors that produce a part offsite often come onsite to perform integration tests and are an important part of the NASA team and mission. Keep in mind, if you apply to a private (possibly aerospace related) company you may not have much control over if you are a part of a NASA related project.  More recently NASA has been reaching out to small businesses for parts, services and solutions via Small Business Innovation Research. Small businesses can propose projects that can advance NASA’s mission. From Civil Servant on site to a small business working in a small town you can work with NASA and advance space exploration.

Fellow Co-Op shared her experience testing Curiosity Rover's drill, Morpheous tested thrusters and students toured space structure labs.

Jackelynne Silva-Martinez  presented "Behind the Scenes on the Verification and Validation (V&V) Tests of the Curiosity Rover's Robotic Arm." The Curiosity rover has been gathering data on Mars since August 2012. Jacky is a mechanical engineer who was a test operator for the MSL robotic arm during its V&V surface tests for sample acquisition, processing and handling. She tested with equipment which are a replica of the drill and the Collection and Handling for In situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA).

Engineering Structures (ES) students hosted a presentation and tour of labs that they work in for fellow Co-Ops and interns. These ES students are working on testing materials that cover Orion, untangling vibrations the Space Launch System experiences during tests and analyzing samples after the first Orion test.  

ES had lab with electron microscopes, impact test tools and a 3D printing lab. From the outside the ES building looks like a bunch of office spaces but nested in the inside are many we equipped labs.

July 20th was the Moon Landing's 47th anniversary. In celebration Johnson Space hosted an ice-cream party!

Morpheus is a planetary lander capable of taking off vertically. This week Morpheus' positioning thrusters were tested to capture footage for Engineering Propulsion. The test happened outside and we had to stay in the lab to remotely operate the test. Co-Op Michael O'Donnell is working on Morpheus preparing it's fuel chambers for thermo testing.

Intern Week 6: A NASA Coincidence

Coincidence

I had barely graduated high school before embarking to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio for an internship two summers ago. Equipped with my experience captaining a FIRST Robotics team I thought I was fully prepared for anything the engineering world could throw at me. Engineers racing to complete a power system for a multipurpose space habitat greeted me with hardware that needed testing, circuit board designs that needed fabricating, and copious acronyms that made my learning curve spike.

Fast forward two summers and I am now at at a different center, NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), creating crew displays for that same habitat and same hardware. By crazy coincidence my mentor from Glenn came to JSC this week to run the full systems test with the displays my current department made. This system test means a lot to me after being on each end of the development. I was the only person who new the electronics inside of the power system and  the digital guts powering the displays.

Astronaut Lunch

Yes you read that right lunch not launch. I had the gracious opportunity to meet Astronaut Mike Hopkins over lunch! He was on International Space Station (ISS) expedition 36 & 37, took part in two EVAs (extra vehicular activity), he has spent 166 days in space, and just a year ago he was in space. It was wonderful to talk to him about NASA, ways to become an astronaut and celebrity encounters.

Thermo Testing

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that us interns took part in thermo testing of cameras from the ISS in the wee hours of the night. In honor of our assistance our division, the Avionic Systems Division, awarded us will certificates in Team Excellence for "reinforcing the weary EHDC project team during overnight thermo testing." Caleb from: astronomicalwonders.tumblr.com also received this honor.

July 14th NASA's New Horizons will fly by Pluto (the dwarf planet *sigh*) follow this link for front row seats.

Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

Olaf and I have similar ideas about what makes a good summer. “Relaxing in the summer sun, just lettin’ off steam”. Although doing “what frozen things do in summer” sounds appealing to Olaf, I understand that summer can be a whole lot more than bumming on the beach, blowing dandelion fuzz, and sand volley balling. It can be hard to decide what to do with your precious summer vacation, volunteering, interning, or working at a job. But my discussion with you today will hopefully help you make the most of your summer.

I have had a number of summer volunteering, interning and working experiences. I used to be a volunteer for Duluth Minnesota's Essentia Health hospital stocking IVs and making patient beds in the Surgical In/Out patient unit. I also interned at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Computer Science Department and for Rockwell Automation. As summer class registration is in swing, companies are looking to hire, and you are finalizing where you will be staying this information may be help you out. We will look at three different factors to consider when deciding if it is the best to volunteer, intern, or work. These three factors include if you want to make a substantial amount of money, where locationally-wise you would like to be over the summer, and if you would like your experience to be relevant to your major.

MONEY First let’s talk cash. The green paper, and sometimes electronic figures, that rule your life.  As broke college students having a little change on hand to help pay for college expenses, toss into savings, and curb debt is always a plus. Naturally, a factor to consider when deciding how to make the most of your summer is if money is on your mind.

Volunteering -  although rewarding does not offer pay so may not be a first choice if money is a major factor.

Internships - they can lead to well-paid summer experience. As reported by CNN Money in an article, “Interns at Google probably make more than you” written by Katie Labosco in 2013, interns at tech companies like Google “are paid $5,800 monthly, while specialized software engineers make as much as $6,700 per month”. This amount is higher than the United States’ median household income. Unfortunately not all internships are paid and the amount depends on the demand of the trade such as technology and healthcare.

Summer job - Money seems to be the biggest perk of a summer job despite the possible burger flipping and shirt folding to get it. Unlike an internship summer jobs are more plentiful and with flexible hours let you work more than one at a time.

Another factor to keep in mind in addition to money is location

LOCATION Location can potentially be like the icing on the cake of an experience. You can decide to conveniently stay in your hometown, pick a location with a more desirable climate, or travel somewhere on your bucket list.

Volunteering - offers an endless pool of locations to choose from- between the nursing home across the street and tribes in Africa. From suburbs to cities someone - somewhere someone will need your help. Volunteering through United Way, Church Missionaries, American Red Cross, and Peace Corps offers a wide variety of locations. There are local volunteering opportunities right here in Duluth, MN too. Feed homeless at Chum, take care of precious stray animals at Animal Allies, or help patients at Essentia Health like I did.

Internships -  can be a little scarcer in where they are offered. Companies must have a budget and mentorship resources set aside for interns mostly major companies in large cities offer internships. There are however a few internships in smaller cities such as Digi Key in Thief River Falls, MN and study abroad programs held by global companies such as Rockwell Automation.

Summer jobs - can be easily in your home town or where you are studying, some even within walking distance. Some summer jobs offer housing as a part of their package. At Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio workers are offered a place to stay on site, for cost food, and good pay.

Aside from a nice location choosing a summer activity that is relevant to your field of study will also help you make the most of your summer.

Me Performing Community Outreach with the Daredevils Duluth East Daredevils FIRST Robotics Team 2512. 2012. Duluth

RELEVANCE TO MAJOR A Huffington Post article “Why Gaining Work Experience Is More Important Than Your Education” written by Thad Baker in 2013 claims that, “you need more than a college degree to get hired”.  From that same article CNN reported findings from High Flyers, Research Company that specializes in student recruitment research, that “college graduates without work experience have "little chance" of getting a job”.

All Three -  Fortunately Volunteering, Interning, and Working are all opportunities that can relate to your field of study.  Volunteer at a hospital to get experience on the floor while pursuing a nursing degree, intern at a company you wish to work at someday, take a job that exercises skills that you will need in your career like as a manager or sales personnel.

CONCLUSION Today we have discussed factors to consider while deciding what to do over summer vacation Options we weighed included volunteering, interning, or working based on the money that can be made, location, or relevance to major. Now you have an idea of how to make the most out of your summer vacation. No matter which of these options you pick there will still be time to hold a drink in your and prop your feet against the burning sand like Olaf.

WHAT YOU CAN DO...

Volunteeer Match: a quick way to find who needs your help locally or abroad http://www.volunteermatch.org/

Internships: my best advice for finding an internship would be visiting you university's career center, attending a job fair/ internship fair, or searching on your desired company's website. Your university's career center can be experemely helpful with not only finding an internship but also preparing your resume and cover letter.

I edit resumes, cover letters, and internship applicaitons! Find me on Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/s/7rmpki

WORKS CITED

Lobosco, Katie. "Interns at Google Probably Make More than You." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 12 June 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Baker, Thad. "Why Gaining Work Experience Is More Important Than Your Education." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

This post is from a speech I wrote for my public speaking class. I liked it so much and thought it would be helpful so I put it on here!

Master Research & Development - Learn LabVIEW

LabVIEW is a graphical programming language introduced to most via FIRST Robotics, an intro to computer science class or because a past engineer used it in your workplace. Characterized by its code blocks logically stringed together with wires LabVIEW has been shrugged off and abandoned for "adult" non-graphical languages. I too thought my days of dragging and dropping would be limited to troubleshooting retired FIRST robots. After a number of internships featuring leading edge research and development projects controlled by LabVIEW I decided to reconsider my neglectful relationship with the language. 

Brains of a NASA prototype deep space habitat's power system is controlled by a National Instrument's C-RIO programmed with LabVIEW. I started to realize LabVIEW was no joke. LabVIEW was used once again to prototype an Orion-like space craft display and process commands from sibling systems. Energy conversion systems for NASA's ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization)  are controlled by sophisticated LabVIEW code following software engineering frameworks such as the "Actor Framework". During my NASA experiences I learned that LabVIEW was no joke and could be used for cutting edge research and development (R&D). 

Top skills to learn in LabVIEW to become an effective R&Der include user interface design, control and data collection.

Interface Design

LabVIEW enables the ability to create graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of your controls as you drag and drop code. While you work on the backend "Block Diagram" focusing on logic LABVIEW creates a user interface you can personalize later for the user. The default GUIs may not be the prettiest but there are plenty of opportunities for customization. LabVIEW user interface tutorial. How to customize user controls.

Control 

Using software engineering mantras or simple case structures your control design system can be complex or simple with LabVIEW. As you create a loop function by actually drawing a loop around code and deciding the order of code execution by drawing a wire between code blocks you will find it is quite intuitive.  LabVIEW doesn't offer control unique from any other language, rather how you visualize the control. Series of videos to familiarize yourself with control structures in LabVIEW.

Data Collection

National Instruments has devices that work for plug and play data collection. Their CDaq device you plug sensors into and then recognized by LabVIEW. CDaq's code block in LabVIEW allows you to connect with a wide array of sensors, send sensor data to an Excel sheet, enter raw data into formulas, and more. Within an hour a data collection program could be thrown together for fast data collection. Video on LabVIEW data collection.

If you want do some R&D, to slap together a system to test out and work out kinks in a design LabVIEW is a quick tool to use. I am not affiliated or endorsed by National Instruments. This post is an advice piece, not an endorsement.

Wiring the basement of my team’s robot.