Students present research in NASA Space Grant program

Seventy-seven University of Arizona students were in Tempe to present their research results at the Sixth Annual NASA Space Grant Research Internship Program.

The program ends a year of undergraduate research, a unique opportunity offered in Arizona colleges.

"It gives students the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty and professionals," said Susan Brew, the program's coordinator.

"It also makes the university feel a lot less intimidating," she said.

Eugene Levy, dean of the College of Science, said the federally funded program is a consortium among Arizona universities.

The consortium consists of the UA, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Arizona community colleges.

Friday, students from across the state came together for a banquet to kick off the weekend's activities. Astronaut Donald McMonagle was the guest speaker.

Research presentations began Saturday morning.

"A lot of students are nervous about presenting, but it's something they have to do," Brew said last week. "They're going to learn to think on their feet."

Brew said students present their research to their peers and mingle with students and faculty from other universities.

Jonathan Lunine, associate director for the UA/NASA Space Grant Program, said, "For many students, it's the first time they've given a talk to a large audience."

Lunine said a professional audience is more intimidating. In that setting, students get positive feedback while giving a realistic science presentation to a responsive audience of their peers, he said.

This year, 105 Arizona undergraduate students participated in the program, Brew said. Forty-two percent were women and 21 percent were minority students. Sixty-five students were from UA.

"Women and minorities are under-represented in the sciences," she said.

However, Lunine said women and minority students are not targeted by the program.

"Applications are considered on an individual basis," he explained.

Lunine said serious students who have an interest in science are considered for the program.

He said participants do not necessarily need to be science majors and students who are not already in a science research program are given preference.

"It adds a dimension to their education that isn't offered in the classroom," Lunine said.

Levy said undergraduates receive the opportunity to see how research is done and how it is a value to everyone in society.

"We live in a time that's increasingly depending on science research," he said. "Nations and states will fail or succeed economically, depending on how they can keep up in science and technology."

Brew said the United States needs to retain its high level of activity in the sciences if it wants to continue competing with other countries in the technological areas.

She said fewer students are coming to college interested in the science and technical fields.

Brew said the Space Grant also funds programs that attempt to involve students in the sciences while they're still in high school. Most students lose their interest in science by the fourth grade, she said.

"We try to keep students interested in science by involving them in scientific inquiry in the classroom," Brew said. "We're a model across the country."