NWF State Student Selected to Visit NASA and Plan Mars Exploration
NWFSC President Ty Handy (l), Ray Rickman (r),Chair of the NWFSC Advanced Technology
and Design Department, congratulate Matthew North (center).
5/8/2012
Matthew North of Eglin AFB and a student at Northwest Florida State College has been selected as one of 92 community college students from across the nation to be part of the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program. He will travel to a NASA Center on May 9 to 11 to participate in the program at Johnson Space Center in Houston and is one of only three students selected from Florida to attend.
North competed with students from across the nation to create a mission plan and design a rover for a mission to Mars for NASA through completion of four web-based assignments during the school year. He will apply what he learned during the year in his work with NASA engineers during the 3-day program in Houston.
The prestigious National Community College Aerospace Scholars program offers students from across the nation the opportunity learn more about careers in science and engineering. While at NASA, students form teams and establish fictional companies interested in Mars exploration. Each company is responsible for developing a prototype rover, designing a line drawing of the rover, and forming the company infrastructure, including budgeting and communications functions, and will prepare presentations. The on-site experience at NASA includes a tour of facilities and briefings by noted NASA employees—including astronauts.
North will graduate with honors May 5 from NWFSC with an Associate of Science in Architectural Design and Construction Technology, a Certificate of Drafting and a Certificate in AutoCAD Foundations and plans to continue at the college in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Project Management.
"Over the last two years I have learned an incredible amount from the teachers in the Advanced Technology and Design Department at NWFSC and also from instructors across all departments of Northwest Florida State College," noted North. "Thanks to their teaching, and support I have achieved this accomplishment."
North said he is also currently working on a proposal for the Lunar and Planetary Institute on Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration. "I am using the data and research performed through the NCCAS program to develop my proposal for a atmospheric balloon for the exploration of Mars. Proposals will submitted to NASA Senior Directors to help revise the Mars Exploration Program," he said.
The National Community College Aerospace Scholars is a program based on Texas Aerospace Scholars, originally created by the state of Texas in partnership with NASA and the Texas educational community. Both programs are designed to encourage community and junior college students to enter careers in science and engineering and ultimately join the nation's highly technical workforce. With this program, NASA continues the agency's investment in educational programs that attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, disciplines critical to NASA's future missions.
For additional information, please contact Deborah Hutchings, National Community College Aerospace Scholars program manager at 281-483-8623 or deborah.hutchings-1@nasa.gov. For questions about NASA or other NASA education initiatives, contact Rachel Kraft at 281-483-5111 or rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov. For more information, please visit their Web site at:https://ncas.aerospacescholars.org/.