NASA Funds Initiative To Develop One Stop Shopping For Students Seeking Agency Internships

WASHINGTON, April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Undergraduate and graduate students who want to apply for a NASA internship or fellowship soon will have access to all of NASA's opportunities at one Web site. NASA has awarded cooperative agreements to five organizations to help attract students to NASA opportunities and provide an easily navigable process from start to finish.

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The awards will fund a NASA-wide recruitment, application, selection, placement and career development system to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, research, aerospace education, and space exploration.

The objective of the One Stop Shopping Initiative is to provide an agency-wide integrated system. The goal is a central destination for NASA science and engineering mentors to announce their internship and fellowship opportunities. The effort will consolidate announcements and information currently found on multiple NASA Web sites. The initiative also will formalize the transition of student participants in NASA programs into the workforce, including within NASA, the aerospace industry and academia.

The Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland will partner with NASA for business management. NASA selected four additional organizations to implement recruitment, retention and career development strategies that broaden the diversity of institutions and individuals who apply for NASA's internships and fellowships. The organizations chosen to comprise the Broker Facilitator Corps are the Institute for Broadening Participation of Damariscotta, Maine; the United Negro College Fund Special Program of Falls Church, Va.; the Hispanic College Fund Inc. of Washington; and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium of Alexandria, Va. The total value of all awards is approximately $9.7 million during a five-year funding period.

This program continues the agency's efforts to develop highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students who possess skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines critical to creating a high technology workforce for NASA and the nation.

For additional information about the award, click on "Selected Proposals" and look for "One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) for NASA Internship and Fellowship Opportunities:  Business Management Solicitation NNH10ZNE001C or Broker Facilitator Corps Solicitation NNL09ZB1005C" at:

http://nspires.nasaprs.com

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

SOURCE NASA