Category: News

FALL 2021
Paid (Virtual) Academic Year Internship Opportunity at NASA Headquarters – Washington, DC – Mars Exploration Program Office

The District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium is pleased to announce two paid online (virtual) internship positions at The Mars Exploration Program office of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.  We are looking for Fall 2021 semester interns with a strong interest in the robotic and human exploration of Mars, who are driven team players with strong writing and organizational skills to help with NASA’s ongoing integration efforts.

Interns will have the opportunity to research and write policy pieces on various aspects of future Mars exploration. They will integrate collaborations with subject matter experts from across NASA, industry, and academia. They will help respond to the changing expectations of the ever dynamic world of Martian exploration. They also will develop outreach materials and arrange virtual school visits and talks. NASA wants its interns to learn as much as possible, as they not only contribute to NASA’s mission, but also help NASA develop the next steps in its journey to Mars.

Eligibility/Details

1.  Students must be currently enrolled at a university in the District of Columbia.

2. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.2.

3. Students must be majoring or minoring in a STEM or Science/Space Policy discipline.

4. Both Undergraduate and Graduate students are eligible to apply.

5. Fall 2021 Internships will be a 400 hour/16-week commitment from approximately September 6, 2021 – December 31, 2021. There will be flexibility to accommodate your academic schedule, but all work must be completed between September 6, 2021 to December 31, 2021.  Students must work a total of 400 hours over the Fall 2021 semester, averaging 25 hours each week for 16 weeks.

6. Undergraduate students will receive a $11,680 stipend. Graduate students will receive a $14,400 stipend.

7.  Up to two students will be selected for this opportunity.

8. This special internship opportunity is only available for DC university students through the DC Space Grant Consortium.  It is NOT available on NASA’s internship website.

9. Students must be citizens of the United States.

Deadline to apply is Monday, August 16, 2021. 

Online Application:
https://www.formdesk.com/DCSpaceGrant/MarsInternship

Dr. Pace was cited in the CNBC news article titled “China once said it couldn’t put a potato in space. Now it’s eyeing Mars.”

SPI Director Scott Pace publishes op-ed article, “NOAA is stalling U.S. space traffic management” for Space News Online. The article discusses the importance of U.S. leadership in ensuring the long-term sustainability of space activities. For more, check out the full article. 

SPI Director Scott Pace co-authors article, “Patti Grace Smith Commercial Space Pioneer” for Aviation Week magazine. The article is in appreciation and remembrance of Patti Grace Smith, a groundbreaking policymaker who helped bring about the era of “New Space.” For more, check out the full article.

SPI Director Scott Pace publishes article, “Space is Key to Economic Growth and Security” for Japan’s Wedge magazine (Japan Railways’ “in-flight” magazine). The article analyzes U.S.-Japan space cooperation and will be officially published May 20, 2021. It is also availabe for download now in both English and Japanese.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former deputy assistant secretary for research and development at the Department of Transportation, adjunct professor of economics at George Washington University, and friend to SPI publishes Op-Ed for RealClear Science:

Accurate GPS Needed to Measure Climate Change

May 5, 2021

SPI-IISTP Event “Shaping S&T Policy” Featured in GWToday:  

International Collaboration, Private Partnerships Key to Future of Space Exploration
Elliott School faculty and space policy experts Scott Pace and Pascale Ehrenfreund discussed the need to foster sustainable space initiatives.

By Kristen Mitchell

American space policy initiatives should be grounded in fundamental values such as rule of law, democracy, human rights and free enterprise in order to build and support sustainable policies, said Scott Pace, George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs professor and former executive secretary of the White House’s National Space Council.

“It’s not enough to be aligned with a particular administration or particular congress,” he said. “It requires an alignment with enduring national interests that can have bipartisan support.”

Dr. Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute, participated in a Wednesday webinar focused on space policy, alongside research professor Pascale Ehrenfreund, president of the International Astronautical Federation and former chair of the executive board of the German Aerospace Center. Both space policy experts spoke to the university community about the importance of international collaboration and public-private partnerships in science and exploration during some of their first public remarks since leaving government service.

The event was sponsored by the Elliott School’s Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and the Space Policy Institute.

Dr. Pace, who joined the National Space Council in 2017, identified two major accomplishments in space policy during the last administration. The first was a 2017 directive for a U.S.-led collaboration with private-sector and international partners to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972— an important step for continued human exploration of the solar system. The second was a 2018 directive that sought to reduce the threat of orbital debris and establish the United States as an international leader in space traffic management.

The realm of space policy has changed over the past several decades, Dr. Pace said. The space environment is more globalized and more democratized with more states, private sector and non-state actors involved. Commercial and international partners are “quite integral” to U.S. national interests, he said.

“Leadership today is not about what we do by ourselves, but what can we do that gets other people to want to come with us in shaping the environment,” he said.

Dr. Ehrenfreund highlighted important scientific and space policy collaborations in Europe, particularly those that monitor the Earth’s changing climate. Europe should be doing more to support and fund young entrepreneurs interested in space technology, she said.

“Europe is very risk averse,” she said. “It is important to foster partnership between commercial and institutional partners, as well as non-space actors. You have to have really good innovation ecosystems in order to foster entrepreneurship.”

Alyssa Ayres, recently appointed dean of the Elliott School, applauded the “deeply specific and relevant conversation” of this event. It is critically important to emphasize and highlight how important science and technology issues are in the broader landscape of international affairs, she said.

“S&T policies that enhance innovation are important for U.S. leadership and the well-being of our economy,” she said. “To meet the urgency of today’s threats…it is just absolutely vital that we have international affairs practitioners with the needed backgrounds in science and technology.”

Interested in Careers in Science and Technology?  

Then don’t miss this video where IISTP and ISTP Director Nicholas Vonortas discusses career paths and possibilities for current and future graduate students and young professionals.