RCC Students: NCAS is accepting applications for learning opportunities from NASA

If you have always wanted an opportunity to work with NASA, as a RCC student, this could be your chance.

NCAS (NASA Community Colleges Aerospace Scholars) wants to connect Robeson Community College to NASA and help develop students at RCC into successful leaders.

“NCAS is a unique activity exclusive to community college students within the United States,” said Maria Chambers, education coordinator at NASA Langley Research Center. “NCAS helps community college students make connections between their degree programs and NASA career opportunities, while motivating students to participate in other competitive NASA activities, internships, and fellowships.”

The program builds a diverse future STEM workforce by engaging two-year degree seeking students in authentic learning experiences. It opens doors for students seeking a STEM degree by offering three unique experiences. Scholars get a closer look at NASA’s unique missions and research and learn how to develop their talents, interests, and passion to become future STEM professionals by participating in one of three missions: Discovery, Engage, and Explore.

Mission 1: Discovery

During Mission 1 students can discover NASA’s research through a guided online experience during a 5-week self-paced online course. Students who successfully complete Mission 1 may receive an invitation to participate in the next mission, in which they will learn about the engineering design experience.

Mission 2: Engage

During Missing 2, students will compete in a STEM engineering design challenge, network with diverse STEM workforce and collaborate with like-minded students in a team environment. The experience may be structured as a virtual, gamified mission to the Moon or Mars led by NASA, a face-to-face robotics challenge led by NASA trained faculty, or a career exploration with STEM industry mentors to create a lunar mission preparing for human exploration.

Mission 3: Explore

Those selected after completion of Mission 2 will go on to contribute to NASA’s by developing possible solutions to current challenges the organization is facing, onsite, at a NASA center. Students will have an opportunity to job shadow and gain exposure to university campuses.

“We rely on faculty members… to reach community college students from a diverse set of disciplines and encourage them to take the next big step in their journey. NCAS encourages students from STEM, non-STEM, and technical majors alike to apply,” said Chambers.

Chambers says there are several reasons why being a part of NCAS is important for Robeson Community College and its students, including:

– NCAS strengthens the campus STEM community.
– NCAS supports the campus retention rate by offering possible internship and job opportunities for your students.
– NCAS motivates students to complete their two-year degree and further pursue a four-year degree.

RCC students from all disciplines and majors are encouraged to register and apply to NCAS at https://go.nasa.gov/ncas. The application for NCAS is open until 3:00 p.m. EST on December 9.

For students interested in learning more, several information sessions have been scheduled. The first will be held Thursday, November 17 at 4pm. Another session will take place on Tuesday, November 29 at 2pm, and the last session will take place December 7 at 6pm. Information sessions can be accessed via this link: https://go.nasa.gov/ncasinfo.

All currently enrolled RCC students are invited to attend any of the information sessions that fit into their schedules.

Eligibility for the program: