Eric Shaw, sophomore at Rowan College at Burlington County, was selected as a 2016 NASA Community College Aerospace Scholar. As part of the program, Shaw participated in a workshop at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Cherry Hill resident and Rowan College of Burlington County sophomore Eric Shaw’s dream is to work for NASA one day.
During the fall semester, Shaw got a little taste of what his future career may be like.
Shaw was chosen as a fall 2016 NASA Community College Aerospace Scholar. As part of the program, Shaw participated in a four-day workshop at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., during the last week of October.
Being selected as an aerospace scholar was an honor for Shaw. The program is open to community college students across the United States who are enrolled in or have completed at least nine credits of science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses.
Shaw found out about the program through his physics professor, Greg Perugini. After looking into it, Shaw realized this was a huge stepping stone toward his dream job.
“Having an opportunity to go to one of the facilities and be a part of something that connects me to them really interested me,” Shaw said.
Students must go through an application process to be selected as a scholar. In the program’s application, students must send their transcript, letters of recommendation and a short essay explaining their interest in NASA.
Upon being selected as a scholar, Shaw and the other scholars had to take a month-long class in July. There were six modules in the course diving into different aspects of space, including exploration of Mars, how NASA developed much of its aerospace equipment and solar system exploration.
At the end of each module, students would be quizzed on what they learned. Students who score the highest on the tests are selected to participate in an on-site workshop in the fall.
Shaw found out he would get to participate in the on-site program just a couple weeks after completing the online workshop. Selected scholars were given a number of dates where they could participate in the program. Shaw chose to visit Langley Research Center during the final week of October.
While there, Shaw got the chance to visit with NASA officials and receive a tour of different departments.
“They gave us a tour of their facilities,” he said. “I got to see the giant wind tunnels and one of the buildings for their (Asteroid Redirect Mission).”
The best part of the program for Shaw, however, was working with a few dozen other community college students from across the country. The students were broken into teams where they had to complete construction of a space rover.
Meeting other students with aspirations to work in the aerospace industry was something Shaw found extra valuable.
“I have 38 other community college students from all over the country whose dreams were the same as mine,” Shaw said. “It was something that helps you realize, ‘This is something you can definitely do.’”
“When you are at college, you don’t get to talk to people who have the same interests because they have different career paths, too,” Shaw added.
Shaw is eagerly looking forward to his fourth semester of college at RCBC in the spring. He speaks highly of his first three semesters at Rowan College at Burlington County, saying the school has been a great first step in his higher education career because of some of the programs in which he has participated.
During spring 2016 semester, Shaw participated in the school’s Undergraduate Research Initiative where a team of students developed a robot to be sent to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. The students submitted their proposal to NASA, which is planning its Europa Multiple Flyby Mission to be deployed sometime in the 2020s.
A double major in physics and mathematics, Shaw has taken numerous STEM classes in his first three semesters at RCBC and said the STEM program is a big reason he was selected as an aerospace scholar.
“I have had so many more opportunities than some of my friends at four-year colleges,” Shaw said.
After finishing his associate’s degree, Shaw plans to transfer to Rowan University to complete his bachelor’s degree. After Rowan, he plans to attend graduate school and hopes to receive his doctorate.
While he’s still in school, Shaw hopes to make a return to a NASA facility. During his visit to Langley, Shaw and the other scholars were able to start applications for NASA’s internship program. Shaw hopes the experiences he had at Langley will help him land a coveted internship spot in the near future.
As for the aerospace scholar program, Shaw hopes to see some of his peers and other community college students in South Jersey apply for the program in the future.
“It was an opportunity that not many community college kids think they can get,” Shaw said. “I think it’s awesome that NASA gives this opportunity for kids in community colleges.”
