Robotic Rovers will be developed at a NASA Center by 80 students selected from community colleges in Puerto Rico and in 28 states. The students are encouraged to follow careers in the STEM disciplines i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by the National Community College Aerospace Scholars Program.
The chosen students would visit either the Johnson Space Center in Houston between 12 and 14 May or NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena between 27 and 29 April. They had been selected on the basis of web-based assignments, which they had completed during the school year.
The students will form fictitious companies and as well as teams for exploration of Mars. Every team is supposed to create a company infrastructure to develop a prototype rover. They would also be taken on a tour of the NASA facilities and would be briefed by engineers, scientists and astronauts.
According to Leland Melvin, who is the Associate Administrator for Education in NASA, the students would be getting a hands-on experience by applying what they have learnt to real world issues and simulate the everyday activities of scientists and engineers in NASA. This would help them become problem solvers in the future.
The program is based on the Aerospace Scholars created by the State of Texas in partnership with NASA and state’s educational community to encourage junior college and community students to take up careers in engineering and science streams and become a part of the nations’ technical workforce. The other purpose of the program is to continue investment in educational programs, which would draw in students into the STEM disciplines vital to future missions of NASA.
Source: http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/