From Staff Reports

Eight Southeastern Oklahoma State University students attended an Oklahoma Workforce Development Conference at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida from Monday, March 19 through Wednesday, March 21. The trip was sponsored by the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium and NASA Kennedy Space Center.

The Southeastern students included senior occupational safety and health majors Lornna Bates, William Baze and Ethan Cox, senior math education major Melissa Greenlee, sophomore elementary education major Ashley Bowen, junior science education major Amelia Showalter and senior computer information systems majors Billie Mobley and Krista Owen.

The trip included tours of the chemistry and polymer laboratory, the physical testing and corrosion laboratory, the materials failure analysis and electrical failure analysis departments and the applied physics laboratory on Tuesday, March 20.

“My favorite part of the trip was being able to meet scientists who have a strong passion about what they do. It was very inspirational,” said Bowen.

Each section of the tour included a presentation from NASA scientists and/or educators about the particular area of interest and what operations took place within the laboratory.

“The failure analysis labs were especially interesting,” said Bates. “As a safety major, I was fascinated with the artifacts from various machinery failures on the premises and viewing the breakdown of events documented that led to the failure. This is what I have been going to school for, and to see it applied in such a sophisticated setting such as NASA was awesome.”

“For me, the best part of going to NASA over spring break was getting to visit the labs. We were able to see the scientists working in labs on projects that we have been learning about in class. The entire experience was pretty surreal,” said Showalter.

“Working in a place like NASA sounds like such an impossibility, but in reality, they offer a plethora of opportunities to ambitious students majoring in all sorts of different subjects; everything from chemistry, to physics, engineering, or even education and safety. It really opened up my mind to jobs that I didn’t realize my degree would be good for,” continued Showalter.

After lunch, the students then continued to a tour of the prototype laboratory building and the corrosion beach site, where NASA conducts materials corrosion testing for itself as well as private industries. The site is one of the most corrosive locations in the nation.

“The trip was incredible! I felt so honored to be selected for such an amazing opportunity,” said Greenlee. “We certainly had a full schedule planned for our time at the Kennedy Space Center. We learned many things that go on behind closed doors.”

Wednesday, March 21, the group again toured the NASA facility in the morning, visiting a launch pad site for shuttle missions and the famous countdown clock located in a field facing the launch pad over three miles away where news stations and other visitors viewed the launches of various missions throughout the years.

Students entered the Vehicle Assembly Building and toured the facility.

“My favorite part of the trip, other than meeting and making a ton of new friends, would have to be our tour of the VAB. The structure itself was amazing, but just to think of all the vehicles that were assembled there. I remember walking in, looking straight up, and thinking ‘Wow, I’m just speechless’ because really words couldn’t describe it,” said Baze.

“And then when our tour guide said ‘if you look to your left, there is the Discovery,’ it hit me. This aircraft/ship was actually sent into space and successfully came home with all its passengers safe on board. That is American smarts and know-how. It fills me with pride and makes me proud to be an American,” said Baze.

A tour of the Saturn V complex, which houses Saturn V mission memorabilia, included a mock launch of the ship visitors can sit and experience and a replica of the ship hanging above the heads of visitors, concluded the NASA tour for SE students.

“The Saturn V was flight tested without a crew,” according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website. “The first manned Saturn V sent the Apollo 8 astronauts into orbit around the moon in December 1968. After two more missions to test the lunar landing vehicle, in July 1969 a Saturn V launched the crew of Apollo 11 to the first manned landing on the moon.”

Mobley said, “I am glad that I was chosen for this trip. I had a great time on the trip, and I hope I have the opportunity to do something like this again in the future.”

“NASA was literally a BLAST,” added Cox.

The SE students applied for the positions and were chosen by Dr. Nancy Paiva, associate professor of chemistry and biotechnology and SE NASA Oklahoma Space Grant campus representative, based on interests in various science fields.

The SE students were joined on the Oklahoma Workforce Development Conference by East Central University, Oklahoma State University, Langston University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University students. There were a total of 22 students who attended the conference in Cape Canaveral.