NASA - Robotics Academy

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Project Description

Robotics Academy

[Students Higher Education]
[Available: Nationally]

The NASA Robotics Academy is a NASA multi-center, 10-week resident internship during the summer for students specifically interested in robotics. (Students who previously participated in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, Robotics Competition, Botball, or have taken an active interest in robotics in demonstrable ways are given priority.) Participants are assigned to a team project developed by NASA, local industry or an academic institution. In addition to direct guidance from the Principal Investigator, or PI, who sponsors the team, an advanced robotics student is assigned as team lead to guide the interns and manage the project on a daily basis. The interns are called Research Associates, or RAs. Along with their team leads, the RAs also participate in enriching activities such as group projects, lectures, field trips and meetings with leaders in the robotics field.

Goals:
--To provide a first-class apprenticeship experience for the students.
--To assemble student teams that contribute significant value to the projects they are assigned.
--To fill the gap in the educational pipeline at the college freshman and sophomore levels.
--To improve the ease in which students apply, applications are processed and students are placed at multiple locations.
--To engage NASA Robotics Academy alumni in all aspects of the project (development, operations and pipeline).

Objectives:
--To inspire and develop future robotics specialists.
--To cultivate and sustain interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields among students.
--To promote alliances with academic institutions and industry partners.

Target Participants: RAs are college freshmen and sophomores. Team Leads are advanced undergraduate or graduate students with a curricular focus on robotics.

Selection Criteria: The RAs and Team Leads are selected based on excellence in academic performance, demonstrated prior involvement in robotics, propensity for teamwork, and leadership.

Project Content: Team projects are solicited from researchers at participating NASA centers, as well as local universities and/or companies that are conducting NASA-sponsored robotics research and are located near these centers.

Who to Contact at NASA
Cassie Bowman
Deputy Coordinator
NASA Ames Research Center
Phone: (650) 269-2787
E-mail: cbowman@mail.arc.nasa.gov

NASA Robotics Academy
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Robotics Academy