BFIT Students Chosen for NASA Scholars Program

January 14, 2021

The NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program has selected three BFIT students among its 2021 cohort of student scholars. BFIT students William Harney, Mohammed Hussain, and Louisa Jenness will join fellow student scholars from across the country for an online interactive learning opportunity focused on the concepts and challenges surrounding NASA’s planned missions to the moon and Mars.

Students are chosen to participate for the NCAS program through a competitive application process. Participants must be currently pursuing their initial undergraduate degree at a community college and have an interest and aptitude for mathematics, science, engineering or computer science.

“I am extremely proud of Louisa, Mohammed, and William for being chosen to participate in the prestigious NCAS program,” said BFIT Dean of Academic Affairs Marvin Loiseau. “This program will allow them to explore how the STEM concepts they have been studying in class can be applied―both here on Earth and in outer space.”

The NCAS program, which is designed to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to prepare for STEM fields, begins with a five-week online course that includes several modules, quizzes, and a final project focused on NASA’s Lunar Rover mobile robot. Students who excel in the online course are invited to participate in a NASA Virtual Experience, where they get a closer look at the agency’s unique missions and world-class facilities.

Jenness, a self-described “space nerd,” said the program is a perfect fit for her personal and professional interests. “My obsession with space started when I was about 7 when we studied the planets in school and I was immediately hooked,” she said, noting that her college essay topic was the television show Star Trek. “My dream job would be to work for NASA or SpaceX.” Jenness transferred into BFIT’s Electrical Engineering bachelor’s degree program and is currently a sophomore.

Harney said his goal is to work in the transportation industry, so he is especially excited to learn about the engineering behind the spaceships and other vehicles involved in the NASA missions. “I’m really focused on connecting people and how transportation can support that,” said Harney, who is in the final year of BFIT’s Mechanical Engineering Technology associate degree program. He was recently accepted into a bachelor’s degree in engineering program at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Hussain, who said he has been interested in NASA since he was a child and his career goal is to work with missile systems. He is extremely excited about the curriculum planned for the online course and hopes he qualifies for the NASA Virtual Experience afterward. “During the online course, we will be learning a lot of information that most people don’t have access to and don’t know anything about,” he said. Hussain, who is completing his final year of BFIT’s Mechanical Engineering Technology associate degree program, plans to continue at BFIT to earn a bachelor’s degree.

The students begin the online NCAS course this week and will complete the work in addition to their BFIT studies. Students who successfully complete the course and who are invited to the NASA Virtual Experience will:

Compete in a STEM engineering design challenge
Network with NASA’s diverse STEM workforce
Collaborate with like-minded students in a team environment
Receive resume feedback from a STEM professional
Learn how to navigate NASA internships
Strengthen understanding of STEM by enabling powerful connections to NASA’s mission and work.

The NCAS program is funded in part by the Minority University Research and Education Program (MUREP), which is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with authentic learning experiences to sustain a diverse workforce. Learn more about NCAS at https://www.nasa.gov/stem/murep/projects/ncas.html

Pictured (left to right): Louisa Jenness, William Harney, Mohammed Hussain