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PHOTO COURTESY OF NEIL HULBERT

ROCKET SCIENCE. Students test a Mars Rover constructed from Legos. Applications for the next round of Aerospace Scholars are due Nov. 7.

Aerospace camp attempts to take students ‘out of this world’

By Clare Jensen

For all the little boys and girls who had dreams of wearing moon boots and space helmets when they grew up, the Museum of Flight has just the launching point.

The Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program, now in its third year, is a way for high school juniors to really get a taste of all the professions associated with aerospace, besides the obvious astronaut position.

Neil Hulbert, now a senior at Stadium High School, participated in the aerospace program his junior year.

“(Aerospace) had always been a possibility, it was always in the back of my mind. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an astronaut just like every other little kid,” Hulbert said. “(WAS) really gave me an idea of what people do in the aerospace industry, and how the different jobs come together.”

The aerospace scholar program is free and is open to juniors in the state who have a 3.0 grade point average or higher, and who are United States citizens. The program starts in January with a distance-learning curriculum where students complete assignments every two weeks based on aerospace, science and technology. In May, 160 of the students are selected to participate in the residency program at the Museum of Flight. It is six days of scientific exploration and engineering challenges that culminates with a simulated trip to Mars.

For the next round of aerospace scholars, the deadline for application is Nov. 7.

Scholars work with mentors and counselors, all from related aerospace fields, during their time in the program.

The Washington Aerospace Scholars program is based on a similar program created in Texas in 2000.

“The main goal is to address the lack of students going into the stem fields,” said Melissa Edwards, WAS administrator. In recent years, the number of American students pursuing degrees and careers in the science, engineering and technology fields have been sharply declining, while numbers in countries such as India and China are growing rapidly.

“The program is a great opportunity to explore areas in the science, technology, engineering and math fields,” she said.

Hulbert and Mount Tahoma student Clifton Jamerson, Jr. were the only students from Tacoma School District out of 225 to participate in the WAS program last year.

“These kinds of programs…they not only give you a knowledge of the field…it really gets you excited about going to the moon again, or a potential trip to Mars,” Hulbert said. “It was really kind of amazing. The decisions we were making (in the simulated Mars trip) are the same decisions that are going to have to be made before the actual Mars mission. It really makes you want to be a part of that.”

And at this point in time, Hulbert could be one of the great minds at the decision-making table before the first human mission to Mars in future years, an idea that has got Hulbert pretty excited.

For more information on the WAS program or to download an application, visit www.museumofflight.org/washington-aerospace-scholars or contact WAS Administrator Melissa Edwards at (206) 764-5866. Applications for current juniors for the 2009 program are due by Nov. 7.

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