Career Opportunities

CAM-STAR supports student research and professional development by placing an emphasis on students from Underrepresented and Minority groups (URMs). To achieve this goal, CAM-STAR offers Research Assistantships for undergraduate and graduate students to support their projects in areas associated with Advanced Manufacturing and Space Technology research. CAM-STAR provides student researchers with a research stipend, research facilities, and faculty mentorship to facilitate their professional development. CAM-STAR also supports research assistants by funding their participation in national and international conferences to present their research findings.

CAM-STAR facilitates NASA summer internship fellowship applications at UDC and partner institutes and provides financial support to students to work on collaborative internships at NASA centers across the nation. Through the NASA-funded Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM-STAR) here at UDC, we also offer CAM-STAR sponsored NASA internships exclusively to qualified UDC students from ALL majors. If you are interested, contact us or fill out the form below and we will reach out to you.

Meet Our CAM-STAR NASA Interns 2021-2022

 

In the summer of 2022, CAM-STAR supported four NASA interns at three different NASA centers: Johnson Space Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. These interns applied their UDC education under the supervision and mentorship of NASA scientists, engineers, and program directors. Beyond gaining valuable hands-on experience, they built meaningful relationships with NASA professionals, which could benefit their careers and research after graduating from UDC. Additionally, CAM-STAR Scholar and UDC graduate student Jaime Rios began working as a NASA intern at Johnson Space Center in the fall of 2022. He was accepted into the NASA Pathways Program, which offers students opportunities to gain experience and explore careers while continuing their studies.

 

CAM-STAR Scholar Brandon Botchway currently working as NASA intern at Johnson Space Center and was featured on the NASA website in the NASA STEM ENGAGEMENT HIGHTS 2020. He has been working on VIPER thermal management architecture design, analysis and testing efforts leading to flight hardware delivery.

This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to pursue the work I had always dreamed of, thanks to Ms. Tonya Bakke who supported me from the interview process through the end of my internship. I deeply appreciate your trust in me and the responsibility you entrusted to me—it was truly an honor. Thank you for your unwavering support and for always making time for me despite your busy schedule. I especially miss our morning conversations and exchanging ideas to solve challenges together. Leaving JPL was incredibly difficult, as it took me two weeks to officially announce my departure. My time there was transformative, and I am so grateful to have been part of NASA JPL. Working as a Data Mining intern for Quality Inspection Records at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California—remotely under the guidance of my group supervisor, Tonya Bakke—was an absolute joy. The experience of collaborating with the talented team in the mechanical inspection group was invaluable
During my internship, I gained extensive experience in data extraction, data analysis, and data mining. I processed, cleaned, arranged, and examined data, compiling it into helpful information.. Additionally, I focused on comparison requirements to extract historical discrepancy data, analyze trends, and generate Pareto charts. One of my key contributions was establishing defect-type categories for JPL’s mechanical inspection group using two years of recorded data. The skills and lessons I have learned from this experience will stay with me for years to come.
This internship has truly been life-changing. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all the NASA JPL executives, directors, and employees: Tonya Bakke, the Education Office, my mentor, Joseph Hunt, Jessica Parker, Jenny Tieu, Brian, Brandon, Nikki, Laura, Richard McKnight, Jordan, Jean, Jenna Salmen, the University of the District of Columbia, Professor Xu, the UDC CAMSTAR student club, my friends at the University of the District of Columbia, my mom, my children, and all the Summer 2021 interns—especially those who made me feel welcomed by offering support and advice. I am beyond grateful for all the help and encouragement I received this summer. I look forward to the next chapter of my journey, and I hope to return to NASA JPL soon—perhaps even before graduation! Thank you all, and much love!

Marcus Gilmore has been fascinated by space for as long as he can remember. The passion that ignited during his childhood in Sacramento, California, eventually led the mechanical engineering student and U.S. Army veteran to a NASA internship at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“Watching space shuttle launches, seeing astronauts deploy satellites, and viewing images captured from the Hubble Telescope all fired up my imagination. I’ve always dreamed of working in the space industry,” he recalled.

Gilmore is pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the University of the District of Columbia, a HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in Washington, DC. He joins the ranks of many current and former students from HBCUs who continue to contribute their talents, skills, and perspectives to NASA’s missions. This week, the agency celebrates National HBCU Week in recognition of the positive impacts these schools and their scholars bring to STEM fields.

CAM-STAR NASA intern Voss Harrigan presented his work and received the Certificate of Best Presentation Award.

Presentation: V Harrigan*,K Carter*, M R Shaeri. Electrostatic Cleaning System Integrated with Thunderon Brush for Lunar Dust Mitigation. 2021 International Conference on Engineering Application for Spacecraft System

 

NASA-funded CAM-STAR Engineering Ambassador Program at UDC is a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to represent CAM-STAR outreach programs. Student Ambassadors serve to develop and conduct STEM related outreach activities for High Schools and Community Colleges, and evaluate the effectiveness of our outreach activities on students’ interest in STEM. Upon successfully completing their assigned tasks and deliverables, our students receive a stipend. Talented and dedicated students enrolled in STEM majors at UDC are encouraged to apply for this position. 

CAM-STAR provides state-of-the-art undergraduate education to nurture candidates for Advanced Manufacturing workforce and competitive graduate programs through integrated activities.

1. By taking advantage of various advanced manufacturing courses including the newly established “MECH302 Research Experience and Technical Communication” course, CAM-STAR supports 8 undergraduate students per year on proposed research projects.
2. NASA-related projects are facilitated by CAM-STAR through the provision of needed supplies and faculty mentors.
3. CAM-STAR enhances our existing participation in NASA’s Human Rover Challenge and NASA-RASCAL competition, NASA MINDS competition, NASA Lunabotics Competition, and engages more students through additional activities.
4. Students in the field of Advanced Manufacturing receive hands-on experience in Nanomanufacturing and Additive Manufacturing.

1. A total of 5 graduate students (per year) of both master and PhD levels are supported by CAM-STAR in their research projects, which are mentored by faculty and scientists from UDC and collaboration institutions, NASA scientists, and industry representatives.
2. Project-based learning is integrated into existing Mechanical and Civil Engineering courses, including Advanced Nanofabrication and Nanoscale Characterization, Multiscale Simulation and Modeling of Nanoscale Phenomena, and Advanced Geotechnical Engineering.