CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP

NASA-funded CAM-STAR supports student research and professional development with placing an emphasis on students from Underrepresented and Minority groups(URMs). To achieve this goal, CAM-STAR offers Research Assistantship for undergraduate and graduate students to support their projects in the areas associated with Advanced Manufacturing and Space Technology research. CAM-STAR provides student researchers with research stipend, research facilities, and faculty mentorship to facilitate their professional development.

CAM-STAR also provides the research assistants with funds to present their research results at national and international conferences.

CONTACT US

Dr. Jiajun Xu, PI, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
202.274.5048, jiajun.xu@udc.edu
Feiyang Bai
Grant Coordinator
feiyang.bai@udc.edu

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

CAM-STAR facilitates the NASA summer internship fellowship applications at UDC and partner institutes and provides financial support to students to work on collaborative internships at NASA centers across the nation.

Through NASA-funded Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM-STAR) here at UDC, we also offer a few CAM-STAR sponsored NASA internships exclusively to qualified UDC students from ALL majors. If you are interested, email us or fill out the form below and we will reach out to you.

Apply for NASA Internship

https://intern.nasa.gov/

 

Meet Our CAM-STAR NASA Interns 2022-2023

Ryan Walker Name: Ryan Walker
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Jaime Rios Name: Jaime Rios
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hayden Brown Name: Hayden Brown

Intern Center: Goddard Space Flight Center

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Patrick Adegbaye Name: Patrick Adegbaye

Intern Center: Marshall Space Flight Center

Major: Mechanical Engineering

 

Meet Our CAM-STAR NASA Interns 2021-2022

Name: Brandon Botchway
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chance Eden Name: Chance Eden
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Giancarlo D'Orazio Name: Giancarlo D’Orazio
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Jaime Rios Name: Jaime Rios
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Kyle Kelley Name: Kyle Kelley
Intern Center: Glenn Research Center
Major: Information Systems & Logistics & International Trade (LIT) Analytics
Voss Harrigan Name: Voss Harrigan
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Name: Korey Carter
Intern Center: NASA Headquater
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Name: Darold Kelly
Intern Center: Marshall Space Flight Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering

 

Meet Our CAM-STAR NASA Interns 2020-2021

Name: Brandon Botchway
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chance Eden Name: Chance Eden
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Giancarlo D'Orazio Name: Giancarlo D’Orazio
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Jaime Rios Name: Jaime Rios
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Kyle Kelley Name: Kyle Kelley
Intern Center: Glenn Research Center
Major: Information Systems & Logistics & International Trade (LIT) Analytics
Voss Harrigan Name: Voss Harrigan
Intern Center: Johnson Space Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Name: Korey Carter
Intern Center: NASA Headquater
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Name: Darold Kelly
Intern Center: Marshall Space Flight Center
Major: Mechanical Engineering

UDC 2022 Summer NASA Interns

In summer 2022, CAM-STAR supported 4 NASA interns to 3 different NASA centers, including NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The interns got a chance to practice what they learnt at UDC with the supervise, guidance, advising of NASA scientist, engineers, program directors. Not only did they learn a lot in the internship, but also build a relationship with the NASA scientist. This could help them both in career and research after graduation from UDC.

CAM-STAR Scholar and UDC graduate student Jaime Rios currently working as NASA intern at Johnson Space center. He got into NASA Pathway Program in Fall 2022, which provides opportunities to work and explore careers while still in school

 

CAM-STAR Scholar and UDC Undergraduate Student Brandon Botchway

CAM-STAR Scholar Brandon Botchway currently working as NASA intern at Johnson Space Center and was featured on the NASA website in the NASA STEM ENGAGEMENT HIGHTS 2020. He has been working on VIPER thermal management architecture design, analysis and testing efforts leading to flight hardware delivery.

CAM-STAR Scholar and UDC Undergraduate Student Brandon Botchway

CAM-STAR NASA intern experience – Rahel Gizaw

CAM-STAR NASA intern experience --- Rahel Gizaw “This past summer, I was given a chance to do the work I had always dreamed of thanks to Ms. Tonya Bakke from the interview process to the end of my internship. I appreciate your trust in me, and you offered me the responsibility it’s an honor. Again thank you so much for your unlimited support and help without any hesitation on your busy schedule. I missed our morning conversation and exchanging ideas to solve the problem. Honestly, it was so hard to leave JPL, and it took me two weeks to announce that I left officially. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of NASA JPL. Working as a Data Mining of Quality Inspection Records with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena, California Remotely with group supervisor Tonya Bakke and the amazing people at the mechanical inspection group was a joy.During my internship, I learned a lot. I build long-lasting skills including data extraction, data analysis, data mining. Data processed, cleaned, arranged, examined data, & compiled together into helpful information. I also learned, how to work by focusing on comparison requirements to pull out historical discrepancy data, provide trends, Pareto charts. I was also able to established defect types of buckets for the JPL mechanical inspection group for the past two years recorded data set. The lessons I have learned from you from now on will stick with me for years to come. This entire experience has been truly life-changing. Special thanks to all NASA JPL executives, directors and all JPL employees, Tonya Bakke, the Education Office, my mentor Joseph Hunt, Jessica Parker, Jenny Tieu, Brain, Brandon, Nikki, Laura, Richard McKnight, Jordan, Jean, Jenna Salmen, University of the District of Columbia, Professor Xu, UDC CAMSTAR student club, for all my friends at University of the District of Columbia, my mom, my children, all summer 2021interns, especially those who make me comfortable with the new environment by giving support and advice. I am so grateful for all the help you guys provided me this summer, and I can’t wait to see the next chapter of my life after or before graduation at NASA JPL soon. Thanks, and love you all!”

HBCUs Set Scholars on Paths to Stellar Careers – Marcus Gilmore

marcus-gilmoreMarcus Gilmore has been fascinated by space for as long as he can remember. The passion that ignited during his childhood in Sacramento, California, eventually led the mechanical engineering student and U.S. Army veteran to a NASA internship at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“Watching space shuttle launches, watching astronauts launch satellites and seeing the images captured from the Hubble telescope all fired up my imagination,” he recalled. “Working in the space industry has always been something that I have dreamed of doing.”

Gilmore is pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the University of the District of Columbia, a historically Black university in Washington. He joins the ranks of many current and former students from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) who continue to contribute their talents, skills, and perspectives to NASA’s missions. This week, the agency celebrates National HBCU Week in recognition of the positive impacts these schools and their scholars bring to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

NASA MINDS Best presentation – Voss Harrigan

CAM-STAR NASA interns Voss Harrigan presented the work and he received the certificate for the best presentation award.

Presentation: V Harrigan*,K Carter*, M R Shaeri. Electrostatic Clearning System Integrated with Thunderon Brush for Lunar Dust Mitigation. 2021 International Conference on Engineering Application for Spacecraft System

certificate-best-presentation

 

ENGINEERING AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

NASA-funded CAM-STAR ENGINEERING AMBASSADOR PROGRAM at UDC is a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to represent CAM-STAR outreach programs. Student Ambassadors serve to develop and conduct the STEM related outreach activities for high school and community colleges, and evaluate the effectiveness of the outreach activities on students’ interest in STEM.

Upon successfully completion of the deliverables for the tasks assigned, the students are being awarded with the stipend.

Talented and dedicated students enrolled in STEM majors at UDC are encouraged to apply for this position.

 

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

CAM-STAR provides the state-of-the-art undergraduate education to nurture candidates for AM workforce and competitive graduate programs through integrated activities.

  1. By taking advantage of various advanced manufacturing courses including the newly established “MECH302 Research Experience and Technical Communication” course, the CAM-STAR supports 8 undergraduate students per year on the proposed research projects.
  2. NASA-related projects are facilitated by CAM-STAR through the provision of needed supplies and faculty mentors.
  3. CAM-STAR enhances our existing participation in NASA Human Rover Challenge and NASA-RASCAL competition, NASA MINDS competition, NASA Lunabotics Competition, and engages more students through additional activities.
  4. Student in the field of Advanced Manufacturing receive hands-on experience in Nanomanufacturing and Additive Manufacturing

GRADUATE EDUCATION

  1. A total of 5graduate students (per year) of both master and PhD levels are supported by CAM-STAR in their research projects, which are mentored by faculty and scientists from UDC and collaboration institutions, NASA scientists, and industry representatives.
  2. Project-based learning is integrated into the existing Mechanical and Civil Engineering courses, including Advanced Nanofabrication and Nanoscale Characterization, Multiscale Simulation and Modeling of Nanoscale Phenomena, and Advanced Geotechnical Engineering