Science students put NASA research on your resume!
If you are now or plan to major/minor in a science field at one of our Tethered Aerostat Program (TAP) partner schools (Western Technical College, University of Wisconsin Fox Valley, College of Menominee Nation), apply for NASA/WSGC research internships on your campus:
- $8000 Lead Student Internships in environmental monitoring on your own campus using tethered aerostats. No experience necessary.
- $5000 Affiliate Student Internships on your campus. No experience necessary.
- Work on a NASA/Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium research project with faculty at your school.
The Tethered Aerostat Program invites students from WSGC-affiliated two-year colleges to participate in atmospheric and environmental monitoring projects through the use of tethered blimps (aerostats) equipped with sensors and communication hardware.
Tethered Aerostats are inflatable aircraft capable of remaining aloft for weeks over the same location to monitor river temperature and flow rates, vegetation health, atmospheric particulates, and almost any other environmental or atmospheric variable. A payload suspended from the TA holds the sensor package. Data can be relayed in real-time to a ground station or can be saved to on-board computers for later analysis.
Program Participation
WSGC provides the sensor hardware, aerostat, and training. You provide the environmental problem or monitoring idea (we can help with that, too!).
Partner schools (currently Western Technical College (WTC), University of Wisconsin Fox Valley (UW-FV), and College of Menominee Nation(CMN)) are now accepting applications for Lead Student Interns: WTC-2, UW-FV-1, and CMN-2. Lead Student Interns (LSIs) receive an $8000 stipend. LSIs will be trained in the design, construction, and deployment of a sensor package to meet their monitoring project goals. You will be asked to attend three workshops throughout the year: Ground Truth; Flight Data Analysis; and Next Steps. The first workshop is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2015 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Partner schools are also accepting applications for Affiliate Student Interns : WTC-2; UW-FV-4; and CMN-2. Affiliate Student Interns (AFIs) receive a $5000 stipend. ASIs will be trained alongside LSIs during the second year of the program and will participate in the launch of the aerostat payload and the analysis of the project data.
Learn More
Program Overview and Project Ideas
Lead Student Intern Requirements and Application
Affiliate Student Intern Requirements and Application
Contact Information at Partner Schools
Download Program Announcement Flyer
Funding for the WSGC Tethered Aerostat Program provided through NASA Cooperative Agreement NNX14AR34A.
