RSSValley students accepted into Aerospace Scholars program
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Three Yakima Valley students want to take to the skies. Well, they’re at least considering careers in aerospace-related fields.
The students — Matthew Doehle, of Naches Valley High School, Jamie White, or Prosser High School, and Solomon Schlenker and Ian Everett, both of Zillah High School — have been accepted into the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program at the Museum of Flight. The competitive program encourages education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — the so-called STEM subjects.
Doehle, White, Everett and Schlenker were among nearly 300 students who applied in November and have been accepted to the program.
But the four students have only made the first cut in a two-step process that could land them in a six-day summer residency at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Students in this year’s residency will work with guidance from professionals on designing a manned mission to Mars.
To qualify for the summer program, students must complete online work, consisting of research essays, space-related math problems and graphics illustrating ideas.
Since the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program launched in 2006, more than 1,400 high school students have participated in the program, and more than 700 have completed the summer residency.
About 31 percent of the program’s summer participants have been women, according to Melissa Edwards, the program director.
The program is meant to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields. While Washington’s technology industry has greatly expanded since 1974, the state has anemic participation in science and engineering graduate programs, according to a news release from the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program.
Many of the program’s first summer residents are now college seniors finishing degrees in STEM fields, according to the program.
The program is funded by the state, Boeing, the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, the GenCorp Foundation, BAE Systems and individual donors. The Museum of Flight, which is affiliated with Boeing, also supports the program.
Applications for the 2012-2013 program will be available in late summer at the Museum of Flight’s website.
To qualify, students must be juniors, Washington residents, U.S. citizens and have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.
-- Dan Catchpole
