Community College Scholars Selected to Design Rovers

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. PHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Deborah Hutchings
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-482-8623
jsc-ncas@mail.nasa.gov

Priscilla Vega
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-1357
Priscilla.r.vega@jpl.nasa.gov

News release: 2012-057 March 2, 2012

Community College Scholars Selected to Design Rovers

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-057&cid=release_2012-057

PASADENA, Calif., – Community college students will have the chance to design robotic rovers in
cooperation with NASA. Ninety-two students from schools in 24 states have been selected to travel
to a NASA center, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Ca., to develop rovers
through the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program. The initiative provides
hands-on opportunities to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) disciplines.

Students will visit either JPL from May 1 to 3, or NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston from
May 9 to 11. The teams will establish fictional companies pursuing Mars exploration. Each team
will develop, design and build a prototype rover, then use their prototypes to navigate a course,
collect rocks and water and return to a home base.

"I am so proud of the Community College Aerospace Scholars program," said Leland Melvin,
NASA's associate administrator for education. "Community colleges offer NASA a great pool of
STEM talent critical to our scientific and exploration initiatives. They also serve a large portion of
our nation's minority students. Engaging these underserved and underrepresented learners in STEM
initiatives helps NASA build a more inclusive and diverse workforce for the future."

Participants were selected based on completion of interactive web-based assignments throughout the
school year. The on-site experience this spring includes a tour of NASA facilities and briefings from
agency scientists and engineers.

The program is based on the Texas Aerospace Scholars program, originally created in partnership
with NASA and the Texas educational community. Aerospace Scholars programs are designed to
encourage students to enter careers in science and engineering and ultimately join the nation's
technical workforce.

For a complete list of the student participants, their states and the community colleges they
represent, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/nccas

For more information about NASA's education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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