San Antonio College students who are interested in science and engineering careers and wish to participate in the Community College Aerospace Scholars program for the Spring 2004 Semester may apply through December. The program includes two days of activities at the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.

Last year, 300 students throughout Texas participated in the program, including 10 students from San Antonio College and Palo Alto College. According to Dr. Dan Dimitriu, SAC engineering program coordinator, students formed teams and established fictional companies interested in Mars exploration. Each company prepared a line drawing and mock-up of a Mars rover, built a stand-alone rover, and created an infrastructure budget, communications, and final presentation.

The program consists of two primary components: interactive web-based activities and on-site experiences at NASA JSC, which include the Mars team project directed by NASA engineers; engineer, scientist, and astronaut briefings; and a tour of NASA JSC facilities.

Participants must be: a U.S. citizen (permanent residents are not eligible); at least 18 years of age; a Texas resident; a community college student who is pursuing an initial undergraduate degree and has not previously attended a Community College Aerospace Scholars event; interested in computer science, engineering, math and science; able to commit to a one-semester relationship with NASA JSC, including a two-day visit to NASA JSC; able to access the Internet; and able to complete requirements established by San Antonio College.

Community College Aerospace Scholars is part of the Texas Aerospace Scholars and was created by the state of Texas in partnership with JSC and the Texas educational community to encourage community and junior college students to enter careers in science and engineering.

For more information, visit the NASA web site at http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov, email NASA at collegescholars1@jsc.nasa.gov, or contact Dr. Dan Dimitriu at 785-6049 or ddimitri@accd.edu.