The three-day visit is scheduled for April 18-20, 2012. DCCCD students must apply by submitting a form provided on NASA’s website at: http://cas.aerospacescholars.org. The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 10, 2012.

Transportation, meals, lodging and supplies are provided at no cost to DCCCD students who are selected as NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars. CAS is funded by the state of Texas, administered by NASA JSC and supported by the San Jacinto College District. DCCCD also will pay for the cost of registration once students’ forms are returned and the district’s 46 scholars are selected.

Full-time and part-time credit students may apply. Many students who participate in the program have a strong background in computers and/or science and engineering, but it’s not required. For details, contact Esther Canales, DCCCD communications specialist in the district’s outreach office, at ecanales@dcccd.edu.  

Eligible participants must be:

• Current credit students attending a DCCCD college (full- or part-time);
• A U.S. citizen (permanent residents are not eligible);
• At least 18 years of age and a high school graduate;
• A Texas resident;
• Community college students pursuing initial undergraduate degrees and who have not previously attended CAS events;
• Enrolled in or strongly interested in a computer science, mathematics, science or engineering field;
• Able to commit to a one-semester relationship with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, including a three-day experience during the spring semester at JSC in Houston;
• Able to access the Internet from home, school or a public library;
• Able to complete requirements established by DCCCD.

Interested applicants from DCCCD also should know that the CAS program involves 12 to 15 hours of online pre-work (before they go to Houston) and interaction with other participants.

DCCCD’s partnership with NASA is designed to encourage students to consider or continue a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career path. “Our participation in NASA CAS encourages DCCCD students to take a leadership role in their educational environment,” said Molina, who coordinates the NASA CAS program for DCCCD. “In the past, the NASA CAS program was open to community college students throughout Texas. Now, based on DCCCD’s participation, we have an exclusive agreement with NASA CAS for our students that started last year.”

“Community college students participate in a unique on-site team project through this scholars program,” said Jessica Cejka, program manager for NASA’s Texas Aerospace Scholars. “CAS encourages Texas community college students to explore the exciting possibilities of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while they engage in activities to explore engineering first-hand. The program also educates them about various NASA educational opportunities that are available to college students.”

Last year, before 46 DCCCD students left for the Johnson Space Center, they already had Mars on their minds. Their first NASA assignment was to research and design a Mars rover that could successfully handle the planet’s terrain. With plans in hand, the group formed four teams when they arrived in Houston and were assigned roles that would enable each team to complete the phases of the mock Mars rover development. They followed the specifications they received in a NASA request for proposal and then built the robotic rover. From Mission Control to Mars, students from all seven DCCCD colleges were excited to participate and awed by the opportunity to attend a real astronaut debriefing and meet the crew members personally from STS-133.

DCCCD has participated in the NASA CAS program for 10 years (including spring 2012), sending more than 170 students to become aerospace scholars.

For additional information, contact Canales by phone at (214) 378-1738 or by email at ecanales@dcccd.edu.

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Press contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819; ahatch@dcccd.edu