[Promotion-technology] NASA Spring and Summer 2014 Recruitment Letter for Student Interns with Disabilities and Frequently Asked Questions: Please Distribute Far and Wide!

[Jeanine Lineback]

Please ignore my previous post. It was intended for an individual
and I accidently reply to the list.


-----Original Message-----
From: Promotion-technology
[mailto:promotion-technology-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Silberman, Kenneth A. (GSFC-1600)
Sent: September 09, 2013 1:10 PM
To: Silberman, Kenneth A. (GSFC-1600)
Subject: [Promotion-technology] NASA Spring and Summer 2014
Recruitment Letter for Student Interns with Disabilities and
Frequently Asked Questions: Please Distribute Far and Wide!

To Prospective NASA Student Interns with Disabilities,

NASA is looking to increase the number of students with
disabilities pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) careers through our internship programs. NASA has a
two-percent hiring goal for employment of people with
disabilities and internships are a good way to get experience.
Students can apply for summer 2014 internships, starting on
Friday, November 1, 2013. The deadline for submitting
applications is Friday, March 14, 2014, and we will begin
extending offers to students as early as Monday, February 3,
2014. We encourage you to apply early because the best
opportunities are likely to be filled early. Plus, your
likelihood of being selected decreases the longer you wait. You
can register for an account and look for internships anytime at
the One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI): NASA Internships,
Fellowships, and Scholarships (NIFS) at http://intern.nasa.gov/.
Summer 2014 internships run from early June until early August
for college students and from late June until early August for
high school students. All student interns get paid. For example,
last Summer, at Goddard college students received a stipend of
$6000 and high school students $1800. As an intern, you are
responsible for your own housing.

NASA internships for college and high school students are also
offered during Spring, Fall and Year Long Sessions. Students can
apply for Spring 2014 internship opportunities now! The website
and the application process are the same for all NASA
internships, regardless of the time of year. The deadline for
submitting applications is Friday, October 11, 2013, and we will
begin extending offers to students as early as Wednesday,
September 11, 2013.  Students who are selected for spring
internships will receive an offer letter by E-mail sometime after
October 11, 2013. Students will not be able to see Summer 2014
opportunities until November 1.

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. Applicants must be
U.S. citizens, with a minimum GPA of 2.8 for college and 3.0 for
high school; however, applicants must understand that the
competition for internships is keen. High school students must be
at least sixteen years old at the time the internship begins.

Internships are available at all NASA centers 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 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.

Students who are selected for summer internships will receive an
offer letter by E-mail sometime after February 3, 2014. 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.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions about applying for
NASA internships:

Frequently Asked Questions About OSSI:NIFS for Student Applicants

*	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.

*	Are NASA internships for college and high school students
also offered during Spring, Fall and Year Long Sessions?  Yes

*	Are the website and the application process the same for
all NASA internships, regardless of the time of year?  Yes

*	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-s
hopping-initiative-ossi-student-online-a/non-us-opportunities/ind
ex.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.  the OSSI system <http://intern.nasa.gov> is
the site to look for and apply to all NASA internships.  The
process is the same for all our internships.

*	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.

*	I applied to various opportunities.  Will there be an
interview before an offer is made?  No.  There will not be an
interview before an offer is made.  However, a mentor may contact
you if she or he wishes for more information or to discuss your
application.

*	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.  Offers will be made from
February 2, 2013, until all internship positions will have been
filled.  This continuous process may take until early May.  So,
you may receive an offer at any time during this period.

*	What happens if I am not selected for an internship?  You
will receive an E-mail after all interns are selected for the
session to which you applied, i.e., Summer, Fall, Spring, year
long.  This E-mail will notify you that you were not selected.

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