Do not be afraid to ask for help. Put yourself out there, and take every opportunity you can get
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Data Analyst Intern
June 2019 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
I liked being able to perform and grow in a professional setting and contribute to high priority projects.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Space Weather Forecaster
May - August 2019 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
What I wish was different
The commute was extremely long- 2 hours each way
Advice
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Thermal Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
I loved the entire experience! I learned so much more than I could have ever imagined and made so many personal and professional connections.
What I wish was different
I wish I had introduced myself to more people, reached out more, and just generally took greater advantage of my incredible opportunity.
Advice
Don’t be scared to step outside your comfort zone. Even when applying for positions, you may not feel qualified but you never know exactly what a potential employer is looking for. I had never done any sort of engineering, certainly knew little to nothing about thermal engineering, but my mentor was looking for a physics student. So I went and I learned more about thermal engineering than I ever thought possible.
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AR/VR for Science and Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
I loved getting to know NASA and its missions. I learned a ton when it comes to satellite testing and maintenance, and I got to walk around the clean room where the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was built. I was lucky enough to meet Dr. John Mather, the Astrophysicist and 2006 Nobel Prize winner for Physics as well. Overall, it was an amazing experience to work with some of the scientists there, and the experience pushed me to improve my VR development skills.
What I wish was different
For Goddard interns, there were plenty of opportunities to tour the facilities, attend lectures/workshops, and network with others. Sometimes I wished the learning experiences or lectures could be held after work hours, so I could have more time to work on my official projects in the lab.
Advice
If you end up with a NASA internship, there could be hundreds of interns at your center. Make sure you reach out to them before the internship starts. There's a good chance it will make finding roommates or carpool groups easier.
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Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Wallops Island, VA
What I liked
I enjoyed the work I completed for the Mechanical Systems Branch as well as the environment created for interns. There were ample opportunities to tour the facility, meet engineers in different departments, attend speaker lectures, and get to know how "life" works at NASA Wallops.
What I wish was different
I wish the internship had been longer as I would have liked to continue my work!
Advice
Apply early - the sooner you apply, the sooner you could hear back from your dream job! Also, branch out and look at internships that you normally wouldn't apply for because you could end up discovering an area you love.
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Heliophysics Research Intern
June - August 2019 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Getting to speak with amazing scientists and engineers in varying fields.
What I wish was different
More direct guidance on what was expected.
Advice
You need to take hold of your work and choose to go above and beyond what is expected.
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Intern
June - August 2018 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Amazing people and students working there! All were nice, eager to learn and help. There were also several STEM talks throughout my time there, conducted by NASA scientists. Fantastic environment and awesome learning environment!
What I wish was different
A little more structure to my project would have helped, but I also got better at project managing and got to shape my experience.
Advice
Attend the talks as much as possible! They provide a great insight within and outside of your field. Also talk to as many people as possible, they're all more than willing to tell you about their research and experience!
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Optics Intern
June - August 2018 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
I loved the people who worked on the NASA GSFC campus. It was a very comfortable work environment and everyone was extremely friendly and eager to talk about their job or anything else if asked. Along with doing my own data measurements and analysis for my project in the optics department, I was able to explore the campus and other projects that interns or employees were working on. I saw some amazing sites, like the vibration chambers, the centrifuge, and several clean rooms where they were working on different research or projects. I also met some incredible people; there were a lot of interns in undergraduate or graduate programs and the civil servants and contractors were all incredibly intelligent and dynamic people and really great to get to know.
What I wish was different
The only thing I about my internship that I would change is that I would have liked to have been interning under other mechanical engineers rather than in the optics department. I loved the people in the optics department, but I didn't have much experience with or interest in pursuing the work I was doing for any extended period of time. However, I am currently studying mechanical engineering and I really enjoy building things and working with my hands rather than waiting for measurements most of the time. I also met several mechanical engineers on the GSFC campus and they were kind enough to show me around the work they do, figuring out how to build and test different parts and using machinery to actually build and test them, which is much more closely related to what I enjoy.
Advice
My advice is to not hold yourself back from something you want to do just because you think it's unlikely you'll be able to do it. I applied for this internship thinking that there was no way I was going to actually get it, but in the end I did. I also applied to several other internships and was rejected from all of them. It's cliche to say you miss all of the shots you don't take, but it's true. So, my advice is: take the shot.
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Computer Engineering intern
June - August 2018 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Everything! The center was an incredible experience, and I had the chance to be able to work with fantastic engineers and space scientists. I personally was helping with the VR work on center, and it was very fulfilling.
What I wish was different
Advice
Don’t feel discouraged if you feel you don’t have any connections, just make sure to be involved in projects related to what you want to study, either personal or with an organization/group.
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Intern
August - December 2017 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
I learned a lot and was exposed to NASA, the working environment, and the very smart people who work there
What I wish was different
I wish I had been a bit more assertive and proactive about picking up other projects during my internship.
Advice
Don't wait to feel confident in the subject before you apply. Take a chance and maybe you'll get it and you will learn a lot on the way.
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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Intern
June - August 2017 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Everything; it was an amazing experience.
What I wish was different
Nothing!
Advice
Just soak it all in and enjoy it! Apply to a lot of positions and keep working hard even when it's tough
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Intern
June - August 2017 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
All of the researchers I met were so welcoming to the interns. I had a really fulfilling project and I at the end of every week I felt very accomplished.
What I wish was different
I would have liked to have been provided housing, but I know that's difficult when taking so many interns (over 400!). There were quite a few mandatory lectures which seemed unnecessary, but they might change that in the future.
Advice
Go to as many social events as you can, even if it's just cookies and coffee. Don't be afraid to talk to the "real" scientists and engineers - they are genuinely glad you're there taking the internship and really want you to have a good time and return.
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Pathways Intern
May 2018 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Learning opportunities; so many seminars, speakers, events to attend. People have such pride in their work, and the culture was amazing. Tasks were extremely similar to school assignments in content, which was comforting and feels like it validates the work I've put into academia. It's an incredible environment to be in.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been given more work to do. It can be hard, as an intern, to be given tasks that feel meaningful.
Advice
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Web Development Intern
June - August 2018 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Almost everything! There were lots of opportunities to see really cool things around Goddard, like the Hubble program office and control room! I got a lot of good real-world experience working as a developer in the Federal Government as well, which was very helpful.
What I wish was different
I wish my mentor had been a bit more invested in my project, but mine was definitely a corner case in this regard and not the norm.
Advice
Take advantage of the various opportunities to see things and meet people around the Center! You won't regret it!
