An Experience of a Lifetime

Edwards Air Force Base – September 22, 2005 – My name is Rebecca Hicks, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Summer High School Apprentice Research Program, nicknamed SHARP, provided me with an excellent opportunity during the summer of 2005. After an application and an interview, I was selected as one of 10 students to participate in SHARP at Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. Though I was nervous about how I would do, by the end of the summer I knew being a part of the SHARP program was a worthwhile experience that I will never forget. I was assigned to the range engineering branch, which is generally responsible for flight test setup and support. One glimpse of the mission control center, down the hall from my work area, will only hint at the complexity of each and every mission. I worked amongst the Test and Information Engineers who maintain the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) Integrated Next Generation System (WINGS) and create the computer displays to relay the data coming down from a plane in flight to the operators in the control room. During my internship, I learned about some of the many components of the vast WINGS system and about the process of testing new components to be added to the system. Before the SHARP program, I was interested in becoming a computer programmer; after being exposed to computer code and testing procedures during my summer at NASA, I am now certain that I will pursue a career in computer science. The SHARP program gave me a chance to work in an adult work environment. Since the apprenticeship at NASA was my first job, I have experience to cite when applying for future positions. While I learned about the WINGS system, I also learned about the differing personalities of those in my work area and how they all come together to make a working team. My mentor, Kathleen Howell, and the others in my work area were all very inviting and ready to answer any questions I had; this gave me a good impression of the working life I may enter after college. My view of the experience was greatly enhanced by the chance to compare it with the views of the other SHARP students from day to day and the chance to develop nine new friendships. The trips arranged by the SHARP program and the coordinators allowed the 10 of us visit to places we may not have otherwise been able to access, such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the Air Force Research Laboratory on Edwards Air Force Base, the Borax Mine in Boron, and the University of California at Los Angeles. Each of these trips was full of information from the tours and full of fun from the company of the coordinators and the other SHARP students. I received an income for my eight weeks at NASA to stow away in my savings account for college expenses, but most of the time, it felt as if I was being paid to learn and enjoy myself. The NASA SHARP program has given me a significant addition to my memory as well as my resume, and the experience will likely come in handy in the future in more ways than one. I will take a small amount of knowledge and an excellent impression of the office work environment with me into my future, which has definitely been brightened by my involvement in the NASA SHARP program. Editor’s Note: Rebecca is a senior at Desert High School located on Edwards Air Force Base.

2005 SHARP participants pose for a group photo. Left to Right: Bridgett Bushrod (NASA coordinator), Rebecca Hicks (author), Alan Tepe, Benjamin Coleman-Levy, Leighna Baxter, Allen Wong, Felicia Kaltz, Elliot Mork, Laura Bookman, Alexandra Guzman, Ronalynn Ramos, Ron Ray (NASA coordinator), Roberto Garza (SHARP program coordinator) About SHARP The SHARP apprenticeship is an eight-week, research-based mentoring program designed for students who excel in engineering, geography, mathematics, science and technology. Some 370 exceptional high school students participated in summer 2005 apprenticeship research program at NASA centers and host universities across the nation. These students were selected from a nationwide pool of more than 2,909 applicants. Some of NASA's top professionals mentored the students, who earned a salary for their services. For More Information SHARP

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