Ceremony for Interns of Summer Programs Mark an Ending and a Beginning

	Center Director, Al Diaz gives farewell to summer interns.

The closing ceremony for the 2003 Outreach Programs, Summer Internship Program sponsored by the Equal Opportunity Programs Office (EOPO) was held, July 31st at the Recreation Center aboard Goddard.

This event culminated 10 weeks of intense, real world experience for more than 70 of this country's best and brightest graduate and undergraduate students in the fields of science, engineering, mathematics and several other college level disciplines.

Special guests for the ceremony included Dr. Katie Blanding, University Affairs Officer, Office of Education, NASA Headquarters; Dr. Alvin Thornton, Senior Associate Provost, Howard University; and Al Diaz, Goddard Center director.

College interns from across the country were involved in seventeen summer programs affiliated with EOPO at Goddard. According to Dan Krieger, Summer Internship program manager, each program has a unique purpose.

The ultimate goal is to allow members of underrepresented groups in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics to become more aware of the opportunities available at aerospace installations. Each intern gains exposure to NASA, the types of projects developed at Goddard along with a valuable work experience.

Native American interns stand behind, (left) Phyllis Howard, Director N. Dakato Tribal College Program; Nancy Maynard, Mentor and Wanda David, Native American Program Manager

This year Goddard's EOPO hosted two new undergraduate programs. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) partnership program and the North Dakota Tribal College (NDTC) program sponsored a total of nine interns. According to Mary Ann Stoutsenberger of NASA Headquarters, it was a record setting year as Goddard hosted the largest number of Native Americans interns of any NASA Center ever.

The majority of the internship programs focus on undergraduate students. The largest program, the Bowie State University Summer Institute in Engineering and Computer Applications (SIECA) program provided fifteen undergraduates with summer positions at Goddard. This year, the SIECA program also provided the opportunity for a student with a disability, the working experience that Goddard offers.

The Achieving Competence in Computing, Engineering, and Space Science (ACCESS) program gave four students with disabilities an opportunity to spend the summer applying their knowledge to Goddard related projects.

Additionally, Goddard hosted student interns sponsored by specialty societies and groups. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) program and the Undergraduate Research Program in Astrophysics sent one student each to participate in a Goddard experience.

	Katie Blanding, Universtiy Affairs Officer, NASA Hdqtrs and (rt) Dillard Menchan, Chief Equal Opportunity Programs giving an intern a outstanding presentation award.

Other undergraduate internships are components of NASA grants with specific colleges and universities. These programs include the Morehouse College Strategic Preparedness in Advancing Careers in Engineering project (SPACE), the Spelman College Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program, the University of Puerto Rico/NASA Goddard Partnership Program (UPR), and the Florida A&M Increasing Minorities in Graduate Engineering (IMAGE) program. These programs had a combined total of twenty-eight interns in 2003.

Two of the internship programs are aimed for students at the graduate level. In addition to its undergraduate interns, the SIECA program provided Goddard internships to eleven graduate students seeking advanced technical degrees. The Howard University Public Service Intern (PSI) program provided summer experiences to four graduate students focused on administration.

The EOPO scope expanded to include faculty fellows for 2003. The Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP) debuted with two fellows. The fellows program continues the Goddard legacy of offering experiences that enable faculty members to broaden their professional, disciplinary, and personal horizons, reinvigorating their own work as scholars, teachers and educational leaders.

"We are happy so many of you gained so much," said Dillard Menchan, chief of the Equal Opportunities Programs Office, said in his closing remarks. "We are hopeful that you have learned more that you should have," said Menchan. "We hope we have inspired you to continue to succeed," he concluded.