Stellar Students Selected As NASA Ambassadors

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WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 105 of its best and brightest interns
and fellows for the NASA Student Ambassador Program. The agency uses
the program to engage undergraduate and graduate students in NASA
science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, research
and interactive opportunities. Selected students represent 33 states
and 81 universities from across the nation.

NASA managers and mentors nominated the recipients from the hundreds
of interns and fellows engaged in research and education
opportunities across the agency. The NASA Student Ambassadors
initiative further recognizes exceptional students.

"To ensure success in meeting future exploration goals, the agency
requires greater depth of knowledge and pursuit of innovation than
ever before," said Joyce Winterton, assistant administrator for
Education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "NASA and the nation
must adapt to the changing landscape and develop new strategies to
cultivate its future workforce."

Members of the NASA Student Ambassadors virtual community will
interact with the agency while sharing information, making
professional connections, and collaborating with peers. They also
will represent NASA in a variety of venues and help the agency
inspire and engage future interns and fellows.

The community's Web site provides participants access to tools needed
to serve as a NASA Student Ambassador. The site provides strategic
communication opportunities, the latest NASA news, science and
technology updates, blogs, and announcements. It contains member
profiles, forums, polls, NASA contact information, links to agency
mission related communications' research and career resources.

"The virtual community Web site is an outreach vehicle to the nation's
students as well as a way to engage exceptional Gen-Y NASA students,"
said Mabel Matthews, lead for the community and manager of Higher
Education at NASA Headquarters. "This activity is a leading effort to
help NASA attract, engage, educate and employ the next generation."

With this and the agency's other college and university programs, NASA
will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed
to achieve its mission. This program is tied directly to the agency's
major education goal of strengthening the future STEM workforce for
NASA and the nation.

For more information about the NASA Student Ambassadors, including a
list of the new 2010 ambassadors, and an interactive map of the
United States that identifies the current ambassadors, visit:

http://intern.nasa.gov

For more information about education at NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

Source: NASA