Space Foundation Hosts Colorado Aerospace Internship Experience

The Space Foundation is helping to build the next generation of space leaders and improving the overall quality of education through teacher, student and community programs that use space themes to improve students’ interest and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

In June, the Space Foundation hosted a dozen students participating in the Colorado Aerospace Internship Experience, a cooperative program organized by the Colorado Space Business Roundtable with the participation of Lockheed Martin. The program introduces students age 15 – 25 to careers in Colorado’s aerospace industry. Over a two-week period, the students visited aerospace companies and space-related organizations along Colorado’s Front Range.

“This program is a good fit for the Space Foundation in a number of ways,” said Space Foundation Director – Education Bryan DeBates. “These are the young people who may become aerospace professionals and enter our New Generation Space Leaders program. Our tour and orientation with them included an overview of our annual Space Symposium and STEM education programs at our Discovery Center. We even invited them to expand their networking and exposure to the aerospace industry by volunteering with the Space Foundation. Many of the volunteers in our Discovery Center and at the Symposium are retired aerospace professionals who have a wealth of experience to share with aspiring aerospace leaders.”

During the Internship Experience, the students toured the Space Foundation World Headquarters and Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, which houses STEM education facilities in its Ackerman Conference Center, El Pomar Space Gallery, Lockheed Martin Space Education Center and Northrop Grumman Science Center. They also experienced the hands-on STEM lessons that visiting school groups receive in the Discovery Center’s AGI Space Missions Simulation Laboratory and Mars Robotics Laboratory. Learn more about Space Foundation STEM education outreach at www.spacefoundation.org/education.

This article is part of Space Watch: July 2015 (Volume: 14, Issue: 7).