Matt Anderson...

Hey everybody! If you are reading this then you are probably interested in the co-op program, or you are a friend reading about what I have been up to. If you are trying to find out about working at NASA Johnson Space Center, I can give you some good advice. I am a senior in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and I have worked three tours here. Something you should understand is the importance of work experience. Whether or not you co-op with NASA, (and I hope you do b/c this is a great place to work) it is a huge advantage if you work while you are still in college. Then when you graduate, an employer will probably give you an edge over someone who graduates and doesn't have any work experience. This applies to any field- engineering, business, whatever. The more work experience you have when you graduate, the better off you will be. Remember too, communication in the workplace is vital. If you have too much work- say something. If you have too little work- say something. Always communicate with your mentor and your boss. The odds are they have been in your shoes and will be more than willing to help. As far as how to get a co-op with NASA, contact someone at your college's career assistance office for help, and then show enthusiasm. NASA is a great place to work- be excited about coming here. Not everyone here has a 4.0!

Let me give you a brief overview of what I have done as a co-op here. My first tour I worked with a group that analyzes the power needed on the International Space Station prior to a Shuttle mission. My job was to work on a program that will be used to calculate the amount of power that can be produced by the solar arrays on the Space Station. Most everyone in this group was fairly young and everyone got along well, so I had a good time here. If you are an electrical engineer, this might be the place for you.

My second tour I worked in Structures with the mockup group. This group builds trainers that the astronauts use both on the ground, and in the world's largest pool at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. My job was to design the external skin of the US Laboratory Mockup using ProEngineer. With the help of a technician, I also assembled the endcones of the US Lab and then modeled them in ProE. In addition to these, I had two other projects that I worked on. I really had a lot of fun and learned a lot with this group. If you are interested in design and manufacturing, this is a great place.

My third tour I worked in the Applied Aeroscience and Computational Fluid Dynamics Branch. I think every aerospace co-op should work here. It is amazing how much experience the guys in this group have. I have had two mentors in this group- one has two masters degrees and the other is completing his doctorate. For me, I was able to travel. Actually, the week of September 11th, I was at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, which is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. I participated in testing on NASA's X-38 Crew Return Vehicle for the International Space Station. I have been able to work on some excellent projects with this group.

Enough about work, the other great aspect of being a co-op with NASA is the social scene. There are probably always about 40-50 co-ops during the fall and spring, and even more in the summer. With that many co-ops, there is always something going on (if not lots of things) and it is easy to get involved. It is a great opportunity to meet people from all across the country. Co-ops play almost every sport; we go to lots of clubs, concerts, and events in Houston and we hang out with each other.

Co-oping with NASA Johnson Space Center has been an unbelievable experience for me and I hope that you are as fortunate as I have been. In my time here I have heard about 10 astronauts speak to the co-ops, have toured most of the facilities here, and heard numerous other speakers who tell great stories and give good advice. Finally if you are still in high school and are thinking ahead, trust me on this, the University of Texas is the best school you can go to- Hook'em Horns!