Oregon Student Participates in Newly Established NASA Program

Tamela Maciel currently attends the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

Image courtesy: nasa.go

(GREENBELT, Md.) - Tamela Maciel, a student from Grants Pass, Ore., has been selected to participate in a newly established NASA program at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Maciel currently attends the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

The Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology (MUST) Program, funded by NASA, is a joint partnership with the Hispanic College Fund, the United Negro College Fund Special Programs and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers. The program was created in 2006 to attract and retain our nation's best and brightest undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.

The MUST program awards scholarships and internships to undergraduates pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, more widely known as STEM fields. The MUST Program is open to all students with a particular focus on engaging students from underserved and underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields (Women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and person with disabilities).

The program supports approximately 100 students with a one-year competitive scholarship of up to one-half of tuition, not to exceed $10,000. Program participants will also receive a $5,000 stipend to participate in a summer research experience at a NASA center. Students also benefit from year- round tutoring, lecture series and mentoring from STEM faculty and peers. The scholarships and internships are renewable for up to three years, provided the student continues to meet academic requirements.

"To know that cutting-edge research and technology are part of the every day environment of Goddard, and to think that I have the chance to be a part of it, that is simply astounding," said Maciel. "I am intrigued and excited to meet some wonderful people, study some amazing things and spend the summer doing astronomy. Quite frankly, it's a dream come true!"

With this program, NASA continues the agency's tradition of investing in the nation's education programs. It is directly tied to the agency's major educational goal of strengthening NASA's and the nation's future workforce. Through this and other NASA college and university programs, the agency will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to achieve the Vision for Space Exploration.

"The experience of doing research or engineering at Goddard will give each student an understanding to the nature of the profession that can not be gained in a classroom," said Dr. Vigdor Teplitz, chief of Higher Education for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. "This is a unique opportunity for some of this country's most gifted students to gather with some of the best scientists and engineers in the world to design, build, operate and exploit data from some of the most advanced spacecraft in the world."

The 10-week stay at Goddard runs from June 4th through Aug. 10.