State Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) announced the launch of the 2016-17 High School Aerospace Scholars program. H.A.S. selects high school juniors in Texas to visit NASA and their aerospace industry partners to help plan for human space exploration.
Selected students will be required to complete interactive, online assignments during their school year. Those who score within the parameters will get the chance to travel to Johnson Space Center in Houston. Students will spend the summer gaining “onsite experience” under the guidance of NASA scientists and engineers. Students will work in teams and put their skills together to design a mission to Mars, work on hands-on engineering challenges, tour the JSC facilities, and view presentations from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics experts.
“The feedback I have received from local students who have participated in this program has been incredible,” Ashby stated. “I highly encourage our juniors in high school who have an interest in STEM-related studies to apply for this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
A student must be a U.S. citizen; Texas resident; current high school junior; interested in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and able to commit to the four month online course and the one-week experience at JSC during the summer.
H.A.S. was developed in 1999 by the State of Texas, JSC, and the Texas education community to encourage students to pursue studies and STEM. More than 9,000 students have participated since the program’s inception 17 years ago.
Texas high school juniors who are interested in applying for the 2016-2017 project should visit http://HAS.aerospacescholars.org.
