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RESEARCH AND INTERNSHIPS MADE MY CLASSES EASIER by Yapah Berry (MET, Class of 2014)

As a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program scholar, I participated in a summer internship through the NASA-CIPAIR program at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Prior to my departure I attended pre-internship workshops facilitated by Profs. Viviana  Vladutescu (electrical engineering) and Gaffar Gailani (mechanical engineering). These two events informed me of program expectations and provided professional development. While at the NASA Goddard Center, I was responsible for finding the characterizations of shock tables by testing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from experiments. However, before I could start my project I had to learn single degree freedom, additional Matlab techniques, boundary conditions, damping, and shock equations. As a result my research I can understand my coursework better, since I am able to make real-world connections that are relevant to my major.  Prior to my research and internship experiences, I wanted to create a new generation of cars, but now my eyes are opened to the possibility of so much more. I think research is beneficial to student learning; the more knowledge and experience one can receive the better. I plan to continue my LSAMP research on developing an “Aerospace Curriculum for High School Students” with Prof. Gailani and perhaps return to NASA Goddard Space Center for a co-op next summer. I found research is always better when projects are followed by new information in class and hands-on experimentation. When you research there is accomplishment as well as enlightenment, so I recommend anyone interested in doing research to look for the many opportunities available on and off campus.