NASA-funded summer program opens doors to workforce
Undergrads find deeper academic engagement and discover NASA opportunities in university laboratories.
Associate professor Jekan Thanga heads both the ASTEROIDS and SpaceTREx Laboratories, which provide research opportunities to students at every academic level.
Nicolas Gross never thought something he built by hand would wind up orbiting the Earth. But thanks to the Undergraduate Research and Education Program (UREP), part of the ASTEROIDS Laboratory, he got a paid head start in aerospace studies that led to the out-of-this-world satellite research he does today.
Comprised of a summer academy and up to two years of advanced research opportunities, the UREP program increases student retention and prepares STEM undergraduates from underrepresented groups for careers and graduate school.
Jekan Thanga, associate professor of AME, leads the summer intensive and calls it a critical part of the NASA-funded experience. The academy promotes undergraduates’ success by building excitement early in their academic journey.
“It’s an opportunity for students to get deep into subject matter over a short period,” he said. “It's like a crash course.”