[Blindmath] NASA Summer 2013 Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Student Interns with Disabilities

[David Andrews]

>
>NASA Summer 2013 Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Student 
>Interns with Disabilities
>
>*       What does NASA do?  In aeronautics, NASA enables a safer, 
>more secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly air 
>transportation system.  In human exploration, NASA operates the 
>International Space Station (ISS) and prepares for human exploration 
>beyond low Earth orbit.  In science, NASA explores the Earth-Sun 
>system, our own solar system, and the universe beyond.  In 
>engineering, NASA designs the aircraft, spacecraft, and scientific 
>instruments that make all of this possible.
>
>*       In what fields are NASA's internship opportunities?  NASA 
>has internships in aerospace, chemical, environmental, materials, 
>mechanical, civil, electrical, thermal, systems, optical, robotic 
>and computer hardware and software engineering.  Engineers also work 
>in the fields of composites, cryogenics, microelectronics, signal 
>processing, high performance computing , and nanotechnology .  Our 
>computer engineers develop artificial intelligence systems, and 
>conduct research into data information and visualization systems 
>technology .  NASA computer scientists develop models that help us 
>learn about gravitational astrophysics, study the Earth's oceans, 
>study the Earth's atmosphere, and study the biospheres of other 
>planets.  Earth and planetary scientists study the physics and 
>chemistry of the Earth's oceans, the Earth's atmosphere, and the 
>biospheres of other planets and exoplanets, using these 
>models.  Astrophysicists use satellites, aircraft, balloons and 
>sounding rockets to conduct research into high energy astrophysics, 
>astroparticle physics, stellar physics, heliophysics, and 
>cosmology.  Some of the other areas of study at NASA are radiation, 
>space weather, geodynamics, planetary magnetospheres, geospace 
>physics, and climatology.  Remote sensing is crucial to all of this 
>research.  Our engineers and scientists work with radio, thermal, 
>infrared, optical, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma ray, laser, particle, 
>acoustic and many other types of sensors and detectors.
>
>*       Where are NASA internship opportunities located?  Internship 
>opportunities are located at NASA centers and field installations 
>all over the country:  Ames Research Center, Moffett Federal 
>Airfield, Mountain View, California; Dryden Flight Research Center, 
>Edwards Air Force Base, Los Angeles County, California; Glenn 
>Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Goddard Institute for Space 
>Studies, New York City, New York; Goddard Space Flight Center, 
>Greenbelt, Maryland; Independent Verification and Validation 
>Facility, Fairmont, West Virginia; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 
>Pasadena, California; Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas; Kennedy 
>Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida; Langley Research Center, 
>Hampton, Virginia; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, 
>Alabama; Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Louisiana; NASA 
>Headquarters, Washington, DC; NASA Shared Services Center at Stennis 
>Space Center, Mississippi; Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, 
>Mississippi; Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia; 
>White Sands Complex, Las Cruces, New Mexico; and White Sands Test 
>Facility, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
>
>*       The OSSI Frequently Asked Questions link is 
>https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/faq/index.cfm?subAction=VIEW
>
>*       What does OSSI:NIFS stand for?  OSSI:NIFS is the One Stop 
>Shopping Initiative for NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships.
>
>*       Is there an OSSI:NIFS help desk?  The help desk E-mail is 
><MSFC-DL-HelpdeskMSFC at mail.nasa.gov>.  The help desk phone is 
>1-866-419-6297.  The help desk hours of operation are 24/7.
>
>*       How do I apply?  Here is how to apply.  The application is 
>online.  You need to go to <http://intern.nasa.gov>.  Then click on 
>internships.  Next click on the register-as-a-student Button.  You 
>then need to continue by registering, completing your interest 
>profile, and application.  Then, you must search for specific 
>internship opportunities at specific NASA centers and field 
>installations and apply for them.  Letters of recommendation are 
>uploaded by the recommender.  Your application will not be completed 
>until at least one letter of recommendation is uploaded.  This means 
>that you will not be able to apply to, although you will be able to 
>view, specific opportunities until you have at least one letter of 
>recommendation uploaded to the OSSI:NIFS system.  The "getting 
>Started" link, visible after you login, should help you as you go 
>through the aforementioned process.  Nothing is accepted by snail mail.
>
>*       I am not currently a student because I either graduated or 
>am taking some time out from school; am I eligible to apply?  You 
>must be accepted to an accredited institution of higher learning, 
>i.e., a college or university, at the time of the internship.  So, 
>if you don't plan to continue with your formal education next Summer 
>or Fall, I'm sorry to tell you that you would not be eligible to 
>apply for a NASA internship.
>
>*       Can good letters of recommendation really help me land a 
>NASA internship?  You will have a better chance of being selected 
>for an internship if you have your recommenders tailor their letters 
>for the specific opportunities that you will be applying to.  This 
>is because your recommenders will be explaining to the mentors why 
>your skills will be a good match.
>
>*       How long does a recommender have to submit her/his letter of 
>recommendation?  Recommenders receive an E-mail from the OSSI:NIFS 
>system after an applicant enters a recommenders name and other 
>information.  This E-mail gives instructions and a link for 
>uploading the letter to an applicant's account.  The link is 
>specific with a user name and password.  Warning!  The link is 
>disabled 20 calendar days after it is sent to the recommender.  The 
>applicant must enter the recommender's information again after the 
>20 calendar days has expired.
>
>*       How do I upload a transcript?  What if I want to update the 
>transcript?  After logging into your account, click on "My 
>Applications."  Then, click on "Education."  Go to your college, and 
>click on the "Upload" button, and upload  a transcript.  Then, save 
>the record.  If you want to update the transcript, repeat the 
>aforementioned process, and the old transcript will be overwritten 
>by the new transcript.  This change will affect all of the 
>internship opportunities that you applied or will apply to.
>
>*       How do I disclose my disability status if I am a student 
>with a disability?  There is a place in the online application 
>process to voluntarily disclose disability status.  It is located 
>under "My Applications."  Then, click on "General 
>Information."  This information is used in order to determine the 
>degree to which members of each disability, ethnic, and racial group 
>are reached by this internship/fellowship program.  Additionally, 
>NASA uses information about disability status to provide reasonable 
>accommodation if requested.  NASA requests that the student select 
>the appropriate responses. While providing this information is 
>optional, you must select decline to answer if you do not want to 
>provide it. Mentors will not be able to view this information when 
>considering students for opportunities.  For more information, 
>please visit the following website:
>
>http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
>
>*       Why can't I find any internship opportunities specifically 
>for students with disabilities?  There are no NASA internships 
>specifically for students with disabilities.  Students with 
>disabilities compete with other students for our internships.  We 
>are making a concerted effort to recruit students with disabilities 
>into our mainstream internship programs.
>
>*       Why do I see so few internship opportunities when I search 
>for them?  The OSSI:NIFS system only displays internship 
>opportunities that request students at the grade level that you 
>entered, i.e. the grade level that you will be at the time the 
>internship begins.  The way to work around this is to search for 
>opportunities before you log in at 
><https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/guest/searchOpps/>.  A 
>pre-login search will eliminate the grade-level limitation on your 
>search.  When you find an opportunity that you wish to apply to, 
>open it and apply.  You will be prompted to log in at this 
>point.  Do so, and you will be able to apply or add it to your saved 
>opportunities of interest.
>
>*       What is the deadline for applying?  The deadline for 
>submitting applications is Friday, March 15, 2013, and we will begin 
>extending offers to students as early as February 2, 2013.
>
>*       What is the minimum GPA in order to qualify for a NASA 
>internship?  A minimum GPA of 2.8 is required for college students 
>and 3.0 for high school students.  However, applicants must 
>understand that the competition for internships is keen.
>
>*       What is the minimum age for an intern?  High school students 
>must be at least sixteen years old at the time the internship 
>begins.  There is no upper age limit for college students.
>
>*       When and for how long do Summer 2013 internships 
>run?  Summer 2013 internships run from June 3 until August 9 for 
>college students and from June 24 until August 2 for high school students.
>
>*       Do I get paid?  Yes, all student interns get paid.  For 
>example, at Goddard college students receive a stipend of $6000 and 
>high school students $1800.
>
>*       What do I do for housing?  You will not be assigned 
>housing.  You must find it on your own.  We do have lists of places 
>that other students have stayed.  However, we do not recommend 
>specific housing.  You will be expected to find  and pay for your 
>own housing out of your stipend.
>
>*       Do I need to be a United States citizen to apply? 
>Yes.  Having a green card does not qualify someone as a U.S. citizen 
>for purposes of this program.  Please go to the following link to 
>learn about internship opportunities for foreign citizens:
>
>https://intern.nasa.gov/content/internship-information/one-stop-shopping-initiative-ossi-student-online-a/non-us-opportunities/index.html
>
>*       I'm having browser problems; what should I do?  We can offer 
>some suggestions on what to do without knowing what browser of OS 
>the student is using.  First, if they are using IE 9, please click 
>on the Compatibility View, located on the Address bar.  If they are 
>using IE 8, please click on the Compatibility View, located under 
>tools on the menu bar.  This should correct the display.  If they 
>are using Firefox 5, try typing in the entire institution name 
>and  then tab down to get the address to fill completely.  If 
>neither of these work, please use the OSSI Information Center (OIC) 
>to submit the technical inquiry at the following link:
>
>https://intern.nasa.gov/content/help/ossi-information-center-oic/index.html
>
>*       I'm having trouble selecting a college; what should I 
>do?  When selecting a college, don't put anything in the edit field 
>for the school, and just click search.  You will then see a section 
>at the bottom of the page that allows you to select a school, city, 
>and state.  Put in the city and state.  Again, leave the school 
>field blank.  The website will give you a list of schools in that 
>city and state as links.  Just click on the school that you want, 
>and it should be entered as your school in the original edit field.
>
>*       I'm a high school student, and I don't have a college to 
>enter yet: what should I do?  Just write in a college that you think 
>that you would like to attend.  You will be asked for your high 
>school later on in the application process.
>
>*       Should I apply to all opportunities which look interesting 
>to me at the same time, or sequentially by my priority 
>interest?  The choice is yours.  You can apply to a maximum of 15.
>
>*       If I apply to multiple internship opportunities at the same 
>time, would I only receive an offer from one?  You may get an offer 
>from more than one opportunity.  However, once you accept an 
>offer.  You cannot accept anymore offers.  You are committed.
>
>*       Do all internship opportunities reply at the same time if I 
>apply for them concurrently?  No.
>
>*       Does NASA only have Summer internships?  NASA internships 
>for college students are also offered during Spring, Fall, and 
>Year-Long Sessions.
>
>*       Are NASA internships only for students with 
>disabilities?  No.  Students with disabilities compete with other 
>students for internships.  Disclosure of one's disability, during 
>the application process, is only seen by the Office of 
>Education.  The mentors, who select their students, do not have 
>access to this information.  We use information about a student's 
>disability to provide reasonable accommodation in a timely manner if 
>reasonable accommodation is requested.
>
>*       For whom does NASA have internships?  NASA has internships 
>for high school students and for rising freshmen through doctoral 
>students in STEM fields. A rising freshman is a high school student 
>who has been accepted to an accredited institution of higher 
>learning, i.e., a college or university, at the time of the internship.
>
>*       Where are NASA internships located?  Internships are 
>available at all NASA centers and field installations nationwide. 
>Students can submit a completed application whether they apply to an 
>opportunity or not. However, applying to opportunities has the 
>advantage of allowing applicants to be considered by mentors who 
>work in disciplines of interest and at a particular center. 
>Applicants may apply to as many as fifteen posted 
>opportunities.  For example, an opportunity having to do with the 
>Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will be at the Goddard Space Flight 
>Center in Maryland because SDO is located there. Not applying to an 
>opportunity means that prospective interns will be hoping that a 
>mentor happens to read their applications rather than directing 
>their applications to mentors in fields and at centers of interest.
>
>*       What happens if I am selected for an internship?  Students 
>who are selected for summer internships will receive an offer letter 
>by E-mail sometime after February 1, 2013. They will then have five 
>days to either accept or reject the offer through their OSSI: NIFS 
>account. The offer will automatically expire after five days if no 
>action is taken.
>
>Please feel free to contact me for more information or help with applying.
>
>Kenneth A. Silberman, Esq.
>U.S. Supreme Court, Maryland, & Patent Bars B.A., M.Eng., J.D.
>NASA Engineer & Registered Patent Attorney Office of Education, Code 
>160 NASA/GSFC Mailstop 160, Bldg. 28, Rm. N165, Greenbelt, MD  20771, USA
>Voice:  (301) 286-9281
>Fax:  (301) 286-1655
>E-mail:  kenneth.a.silberman at nasa.gov