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Raritan Valley Community College student Edwin Guerrero recently traveled to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS).

The Bound Brook resident was one of 39 students from 14 states and 27 community colleges selected to take part in the program, which was held October 16-19.

The experience at Langley Research Center, which was the culmination of a five-week online scholars program, offered students the opportunity to interact with NASA engineers and others and learn more about careers in science and engineering. While at NASA, students formed teams and established fictional companies interested in Mars exploration. Each team was responsible for developing and testing a prototype rover, forming a company infrastructure, managing a budget, and developing communications and outreach.

The on-site experience also included briefings by NASA subject matter experts.

“I had recently developed a deep interest in aerospace engineering and astrophysics/particle physics, so I wanted to see how the workplace would be if I continued down the same path. I really enjoyed every single minute of it,” said Guerrero. “We had the opportunity to go on tours that showed all the technical capabilities of Langley Research Center.”

Guerrero, who is double-majoring in Engineering Science and Physics at RVCC, is active on campus in such roles as President of the Mathematics Club, Executive Vice President of the Student Life Activities & Planning (SLAP) Board, and Secretary of Rotaract.

NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars is a project funded in part by the Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP, which is committed to the recruitment of underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to sustain a diverse workforce.  

With this project, NASA continues the agency’s tradition of investing in the nation’s educational programs. It is directly tied to the agency's major education goal of attracting and retaining students in STEM disciplines critical to NASA’s future missions, which include missions to Mars and beyond.

“NCAS not only inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, but it also opens doors for future careers at NASA.  NCAS has a legacy of alumni moving from NASA internships to and ultimately entering the NASA workforce. It is rewarding to see the progression of a student from NCAS participant to NASA colleague,” said Tania B. Davis, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Manager.

For additional information, contact National Community College Aerospace Scholars at JSC-NCAS@mail.nasa.gov  or 281-483-0493; or visit http://ncas.aerospacescholars.org. For information about MUREP, visit www.nasa.gov/education/murep.

Raritan Valley Community College’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for close to 50 years, RVCC is an educational and cultural center that is nationally recognized for its innovative programming, service to the community and environmental leadership. The College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, professional development and personal enrichment courses. The College also has a performing arts center and planetarium.

RVCC is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses, and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2016

Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383

PR #48