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Co-ops learn in work environment
Special to the X-Press Leaving home and moving in with strangers and waking up Monday morning to start a 40-hour week filled with real-world expectations are the start of students’ NASA cooperative education experience. Many college students nationwide look for opportunities to expand their knowledge and get first-hand experience in their chosen field. This year Dryden provided opportunities for 20 co-op students. Each student had to meet requirements, fill out an application, and send a resume. Two college terms are also required. This program is not intended as a summer internship. It’s designed to show students Dryden and what the Center offers. "The experience is outstanding and I am very glad to be part of it. Working for NASA helps students gain the know-how for the work world," said Andres Estrada, an electrical and computer engineering student from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M. Students are placed in departments related to their major and assigned mentors. Returning students are placed into a different department or given a different job for the new term. For example, Michelle Greslik is a student at Boston University, Boston Mass., and is in her fourth term. She is working with mission managers on the DC-8 and ER-2. Last term she worked in the Research Control Operations Engine Propulsion Division. "Seeing how things really are has been the most valuable aspect for me in the co-op program. I am lucky Boston University told me about Dryden. I have gotten so much out of this," Greslik said. Michael Allen, Scott Griffin and Tom Jones have returned numerous times. They all agree Dryden’s co-op program is perfect real world knowledge. All three students are aerospace engineering majors. "Through the years, everything I have learned here has been beneficial. There are so many different people in one area who are interested in similar things, and that makes it fun," said Griffin, a student at the University of Oklahoma, in Stillwater, Okla. Angela Beaver, from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., is working on her second co-op phase. She is in the operations branch, working with the F-15B flight test fixtures. Beaver said the program is fantastic and extremely valuable. Two Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, aerospace engineering students, Natalie Crawford and Manuel Martinez, enjoy the co-op challenge. Learning new things, meeting new people, and seeing the sights of California are part of the co-op experience. Catherine Dwight is an example of a student who has worked with several projects. Attending Reedley College, Reedley, Calif., for airframe and powerframe mechanics, Dwight has been able to apply her schooling with Dryden since January. "Being a co-op is the only chance for me as a student to work for NASA. Working with cutting edge technology and all the different aircraft is amazing. I want to fly in the future and what better place to start than here," Dwight said. Joel McLain, a student at Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz., agrees. "Things I am working on are helping the future of flight. That is pretty awesome to say I’ve done, while still a student at Arizona State," McLain said. Jennifer Davis also realizes the value of this opportunity. The University of Oklahoma, Stillwater Okla. student is studying to be an aerospace engineer and she is working in the operations branch. Electrical engineering student Michael Wesley of Prairie View A and M, Prairie View, Texas, is in the simulator group and is updating circuits for the Hyper-X project. Mechanical engineering student Marco Hurtado is with Dryden for the third time. He attends the University of California in Los Angeles and chose to work in the aerodynamics branch. John Yockachonis, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, electrical technology engineering student, is in the Avionics Branch. His task is aircraft modifications and installations on the F-15 Systems Research Aircraft (SRA). Yockachonis also worked on the X-38 electrical actuators. Joining NASA for his fifth term is Clint St. John, who also attends Purdue University. John works in the Aerodynamics Branch and has worked in structures and propulsion. Shane Peterson, a Northern Illinois DeKalb, Ill., student, and Paul Steinmetz who attends North Carolina State Raleigh, N.C., are electrical engineers and working in their second term. "I’ve been a co-op for different companies and my involvement at Dryden has been my favorite," said Peterson. University of Southern California computer engineering student Dinh Ly, now in his second term, realizes every project will have its perks. He is working on a four-speed joystick for the simulators. "No matter what the job is you have to do your best. Sometimes the only thing needed is getting along with the folks you work with and enjoying your job the most you can," said Ly. Management major, Tida Pichakron is involved in the co-op program through headquarters. Pichakron works in the Acquisitions Branch that does NASA contracting. "Getting the job experience while in college is fantastic. The other students become your new friends and the overall time spent at Dryden is great," Pichakron said. Alfredo Guzman is applying numbers in a different way. He is an accounting major in his first term at Dryden. Guzman is working with financial records and computer programs. |
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Responsible NASA Official: John Childress For questions, contact: Dryden Web Group Page Curator:WD-Team Modified: August 18, 1999 |
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