NASA Johnson Space Center encourages young women to pursue STEM careers
2013-08-01
NASA’s Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars (WISH) program provides young women with a NASA-unique opportunity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. WISH participants are selected annually based on completion of six months of interactive online lessons focused on space exploration, as well as geographic diversity and academic essays. The students travel to Houston from all over the nation and collaborate with women engineers, scientists and co-ops/interns from Johnson Space Center, who help them work in teams and complete a mission to Mars.
This summer, 89 female high school juniors from 41 states, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, planned a robotics and radiation mission to Mars. The project entailed designing a Mars rover that would complete robotics missions on a simulated Mars surface, then inventing a radiation shield that would protect the rover and astronauts from harmful radiation. The young women then compiled all information into a Prezi presentation and showed off their design to a Preliminary Design Review Panel. As part of the program, the teams worked with the confines of a fictitious budget and built a 3-D mockup of their radiation shield using Google Sketch-Up.
The radiation shield design is also part of the Exploration Design Challenge, which is a partnership between NASA, Lockheed Martin and the National Institute of Aerospace. They took part in Phase 1, an ongoing competition where students all over the nation design different ways to protect astronauts from the sun’s harmful cosmic rays. Because the girls have completed this phase, their names will fly on the upcoming Orion mission scheduled for late 2014, and they will be able to participate in Phase 2 of the challenge.
“The WISH program is such a rewarding experience,” said Alexandria Eicher, a 2013 WISH participant. “The program encourages me to go above and beyond in my academic endeavors, as well as cultivate my love of math and science. Because of WISH, I can say that by the time I turned 17, I designed a crew transit mission to Mars, studied NASA’s impact on spinoff technologies and created my own lunar colony. I am so grateful for this fantastic opportunity to study at the Johnson Space Center with girls my age from all across the nation, who are also interested in STEM. I am so thankful for the unbelievable opportunities I have been exposed to because of it.”
“One year ago, I would have never dreamed of making it here,” said 2013 WISH participant Diane Murph. “I know the completion of this program is by far one of my proudest accomplishments. Having the opportunity to work with girls from every corner of the nation, while getting to meet such inspiring men and women, is truly a humbling and amazing experience. Coming from an isolated island in southeast Alaska, I know I could have never had this experience without the WISH program. Because of WISH, I cannot wait to return home and pass on my knowledge and encourage every girl in my hometown to be interested in math and science. I’m almost afraid to return home because it will almost feel like a dream. I will never forget the friendships gained or the knowledge I obtained.”
Not only did the girls work with NASA experts, they also had the opportunity to listen to great motivators and successful men and women at the center. The participants discussed the challenges for women in STEM fields with current women engineers and scientists at NASA. The professionals shared their personal experiences and how they became successful in various STEM careers. Guest speakers gave a plethora of great information and advice, making the girls’ experience at JSC very successful and inspirational. From listening to stories from Gene Kranz about his experiences as flight director during the Apollo missions to discovering how to live in space, these were truly the moments that made the love of STEM come alive among the girls.
Learn more about the program and how to participate.
Maria Chambers
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-244-1496
This summer, 89 female high school juniors from 41 states, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, planned a robotics and radiation mission to Mars. The project entailed designing a Mars rover that would complete robotics missions on a simulated Mars surface, then inventing a radiation shield that would protect the rover and astronauts from harmful radiation. The young women then compiled all information into a Prezi presentation and showed off their design to a Preliminary Design Review Panel. As part of the program, the teams worked with the confines of a fictitious budget and built a 3-D mockup of their radiation shield using Google Sketch-Up.
The radiation shield design is also part of the Exploration Design Challenge, which is a partnership between NASA, Lockheed Martin and the National Institute of Aerospace. They took part in Phase 1, an ongoing competition where students all over the nation design different ways to protect astronauts from the sun’s harmful cosmic rays. Because the girls have completed this phase, their names will fly on the upcoming Orion mission scheduled for late 2014, and they will be able to participate in Phase 2 of the challenge.
“The WISH program is such a rewarding experience,” said Alexandria Eicher, a 2013 WISH participant. “The program encourages me to go above and beyond in my academic endeavors, as well as cultivate my love of math and science. Because of WISH, I can say that by the time I turned 17, I designed a crew transit mission to Mars, studied NASA’s impact on spinoff technologies and created my own lunar colony. I am so grateful for this fantastic opportunity to study at the Johnson Space Center with girls my age from all across the nation, who are also interested in STEM. I am so thankful for the unbelievable opportunities I have been exposed to because of it.”
“One year ago, I would have never dreamed of making it here,” said 2013 WISH participant Diane Murph. “I know the completion of this program is by far one of my proudest accomplishments. Having the opportunity to work with girls from every corner of the nation, while getting to meet such inspiring men and women, is truly a humbling and amazing experience. Coming from an isolated island in southeast Alaska, I know I could have never had this experience without the WISH program. Because of WISH, I cannot wait to return home and pass on my knowledge and encourage every girl in my hometown to be interested in math and science. I’m almost afraid to return home because it will almost feel like a dream. I will never forget the friendships gained or the knowledge I obtained.”
Not only did the girls work with NASA experts, they also had the opportunity to listen to great motivators and successful men and women at the center. The participants discussed the challenges for women in STEM fields with current women engineers and scientists at NASA. The professionals shared their personal experiences and how they became successful in various STEM careers. Guest speakers gave a plethora of great information and advice, making the girls’ experience at JSC very successful and inspirational. From listening to stories from Gene Kranz about his experiences as flight director during the Apollo missions to discovering how to live in space, these were truly the moments that made the love of STEM come alive among the girls.
Learn more about the program and how to participate.
Maria Chambers
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-244-1496
2013e064028: Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars (WISH) participants take part in Apollo Night in historic mission control. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
jsc2013e066287: “Teamwork is the solution. There is no other way. When people communicate and collaborate on ideas, anything is possible,” said Kelly Herrick, 2013 WISH participant. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
jsc2013e066261: Joining forces to further STEM studies and careers. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
WISH students form their acronym. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
jsc2013e066525: Young women of NASA’s WISH program were selected from 41 states. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
jsc2013e066157: WISH girls retrieve Martian rock samples during friendly competition. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford