Figueroa applied to RAMP at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year because he felt “lost” as to how to get a job after graduation.
He’s still not exactly sure what career path to take; he’s hoping this summer’s internship will help him decide.
In the Building Short-Range Drones for Search and Rescue Operations project, students will continue ongoing work to design and assemble drones for the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard now uses off-the-shelf drones that don’t meet all its needs and take too long to repair because of supply chain issues, according to a project description provided by Morelos.
“This project will explore new designs from U.S.-sourced parts and/or 3-D printing that can be easily be assembled without tools to fly search patterns,” it says.
It goes on to say several experienced NASA researchers will manage and mentor the 15 to 20 interns on the project, who come from different backgrounds, parts of the country and fields of study including engineering, software, math, physics, accounting and business.
The drones will have to be cyber-secure, waterproof, able to operate in high winds and offer video on-demand. The interns will have to perform flight demonstrations, conduct cost assessments and present their work to management.
“Hopefully this will show him whether or not he wants to continue within the aerospace industry or government, and give him an extra boost as he applies for job opportunities,” Morelos said.
Figueroa just knows he loves science. He became interested after picking up a book on particle physics at Barnes and Noble and becoming fascinated with the concepts and people contained in its pages.
He particularly enjoyed learning about U.S. physicist Richard Feynman, who Figueroa says was good at communicating the pursuit of science “as a means to understand the world around us and how it works.”
“I feel like my world at that point expanded,” he said. “This world is way bigger than I thought it was.”
COMING SOON:
This summer, the CSUB Office of Alumni Engagement will launch `RunnerBridge, a new online mentoring and networking platform open to CSUB alumni, students, faculty and staff. Alumni, non-alumni professionals and students will also be able to apply for RAMP through the site. You will hear more about `RunnerBridge soon via social media and email.
LEARN MORE:
Learn more about NASA internships. They are primarily in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), but also include non-STEM opportunities.