College of the Canyon Student Selected to Participate in NASA Virtual Experience

January 25, 2022

Arely Castillo

College of the Canyons Student Selected to participate in NASA Virtual Experience

Los Angeles – NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) selected Arely Castillo of Los Angeles to attend the NCAS Virtual Experience, February 2-8, 2022.

Castillo’s successful completion of a five-week online NCAS course earned them a spot to participate in the NCAS Virtual Experience. Castillo is one out of hundreds of community college students from across the country to participate in the virtual experience.

Selected community college students learn more about NASA’s missions and careers in science and engineering throughout the virtual experience. Students form teams and design a mission to explore Moon or Mars. Each student team joins a design team, fulfills a team role, manages a budget, and develops communication and outreach strategies. Students also attend events hosted by NASA subject matter experts, receive information on how to apply for NASA internships, and virtually tour NASA’s unique facilities during the event.

The Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP, funds NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars. MUREP commits to engaging underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with authentic learning experiences to sustain a diverse workforce.

With this activity, NASA continues the tradition of engaging the nation in its mission of human exploration and sustainable expansion across the solar system and bringing new knowledge and opportunities back to Earth.

“NCAS inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, and it also opens doors for future careers at NASA. NCAS alumni can often move on to NASA internships and possibly ultimately enter the NASA workforce. It is rewarding to see the progression of a student from NCAS participant to NASA colleague,” says Torry Johnson, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Manager.

For additional information, please contact NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars by email at JSC-NCAS@mail.nasa.gov or by phone at (281) 244-7029. For more information, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/ncas

For more on MUREP, visit: www.nasa.gov/education/murep

For updates on social media, follow: #NCAS2022 #MUREP