Dina Poncia...

About Me:

My Roots: I've been a space geek for a while. It's all my parents fault. They took me to Kennedy Spacer Center when I was 10. We saw IMAX movies, the launch pads and the Shuttle Columbia, and I was hooked. Space camp a few years later only made my obsession worse. I then read somewhere that NASA hires aerospace engineers, and my path was set.

UC Davis has a great engineering program and while it may be a big school it feels personal and laid back. Davis is just outside of Sacramento , though, so it's not stickville, but maybe hicksville. It started as an agricultural extension of UC Berkley and those root are still there. My dorm freshman year was across the street from the cow barns. The smell will forever take me back. I found a second home at Davis , thanks especially to all my friends.

When I first heard about the co-op program I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. It is a large time commitment and will definitely delay my graduation, but I decided that the experience and the connection that I will gain are well worth the extra time. It is also a great opportunity to see if I truly like engineering, before I invest 2 more years of pain and agony into the degree. Now at least I have a reason for not graduating in four years.

Co-oping; my professional side:

I was nervous on my first day at NASA, but that quickly passed. Everyone I have met here is incredibly nice and helpful. I was assigned to work in EB2 (the Biomedical Engineering division) with the team working on a new exercise machine ARED (Advance Resistive Exercise Device) for the International Space Station (ISS). (Everything is acronyms at NASA; for the first couple of days everyone is talking gibberish.)

One of my projects was to design fixtures to attach hardware to a vibration table where they attempt to shake it to pieces to test for workmanship. Then I worked with two other co-ops to simplify a complex design of a calibration device for the exercise machine. I found while working here that the desire to look smart and creative occasionally wins out over common sense. That was also a great lesson in cooperative designing. My last project was creating a safety cover over a test setup. That was a lot of fun. I had to get all the materials and make it myself. They let me use power tools!

During this tour I gained the kind of experience that is hard to find at school. I have learned a great deal about manufacturing and engineering process. I also became a master (well, better than novice) at Pro/Engineer (a computer modeling program) and engineering drawings. I was a little nervous at first about designing something that will go into space, but everyone on this team is incredibly helpful and patient. It was a great baby leap into the world of engineering. I feel much more prepared to go back to school and tackle my engineering classes.

Another exciting aspect of co-oping is that almost every week we have a lecture from someone who has or had a large impact on NASA, like Gene Kranz and Bill Parsons, the head of the shuttle program, or we get to tour an awesome building on site, like the ISS and shuttle mock-ups or an astronaut training facilities. I have gotten to see so much and experience so many new things.

Co-oping; the not-so-professional side: Co-oping is what I wish college could be like. No classes, no homework. I have an income, a car and I'm off at 4:30 everyday. And there are about 50 other students my age in the same situation. Oh, the possibilities. Houston is gynormous, tons of stuff to do. There are at least 4 sports teams, a gigantic mall and many theaters and museums. Texas is also an experience in itself. The people are proud and kind, just watch out on the freeway. Some of the favorite things I've done: lunch and dinner with co-ops, bars on weekdays, skydiving, Theater under the Stars, $1.50 movies (awesome!). And I will never forget Beach Party and the many firsts that happened there! Co-oping has been a wonderful experience. I've had a lot of fun and met some amazing people. I'm excited about coming back in the summer. I will be working in DX23 (the EVA and Robotics branch of the Mission Control division). It sounds pretty exciting. For now, it's back to school, where I can apply my newly acquired engineering knowledge and dream about future explorations of NASA and the space beyond. Contact me: NASA: dina.poncia-1@nasa.gov School: dlponcia@ucdavis.edu Links: ARED DX23 UC Davis

Skydiving!