Story by Bridgette McAuliffe, Staff writer
Photo by Nora Crafton/The News
Murray State students of varying majors soared to new heights as they took on the NASA summer internship program.
Students pursuing a broad range of degrees had the opportunity to work within many different divisions of NASA in positions relevant to their course study and career aspirations.
Tyler Williams, senior from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is studying Telecommunication Systems Management and worked with a smaller subset of NASA interns, the Space Communication and Navigation division.
“I was able to meet a ton of amazing people, tour exciting facilities and work on multiple projects during my internship,” Williams said.
Williams participated in the program at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“I especially enjoyed having the opportunity to tour the Wallops Flight Facility and the Network Interchange Center, Goddard’s control center for launches,” Williams said.
As a TSM major, Williams said his coursework focuses on networking, security and wireless communication, making him feel well-prepared for this internship.
“The internship re-ignited my passion for space exploration and has opened several doors for future careers,” Williams said. “I hope to return to GSFC in December after graduation and have been working with people there to return.”
There are opportunities with NASA for varying majors and many of the students studying Occupational Safety and Health are referred to these opportunities by professors.
John Gafford, senior from Cumberland City, Tennessee, found out about the opportunity when placement coordinators from Murray State’s OSH department sent a notification of openings to the students.
Gafford completed his internship at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, working in NASA’s Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate.
“Myself and the other interns were given meaningful work,” Gafford said. “I actually got to directly support flight hardware moves and work with project management on projects across the Center. Pretty much every day at work I got to see something historic.”
The internship wasn’t just filled with historic firsts, but with fond memories and chances to see important parts of the history of space exploration.
“Some highlights include seeing Buzz Aldrin on the set of The First Man, working in the Vehicle Assembly Building, touring decommissioned launchpads, seeing the engineering mockup for the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway and hanging out around Florida with my roommates,” Gafford said.
The entire experience of working with a variety of students and going to a bigger city made quite an impact on Gafford.
“Some people I worked with had been safety majors while in college, while others had come from backgrounds in aerospace engineering or chemistry or materials science, and being able to see how individuals from this wide variety of backgrounds approached safety issues was an invaluable learning experience,” Gafford said. “It’s also cool to get out of small-town Murray every once in a while to make new friends and try new things.”
Tracey Wortham, professor of Occupational Safety & Health, recommended Gafford for the program.
“John was an excellent candidate for the NASA internship program,” Wortham said. “When speaking with him, one immediately senses that he has a strong curiosity and passion for practicing the safety profession in order to keep employees safe in the workplace.”
Like many departments at Murray State, an internship is a required and essential part of the OSH program.
“We feel it’s absolutely essential for a student to participate in at least one well-rounded, mentored work experience where they apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-life industry experience,” Wortham said. “An opportunity with an employer such as NASA may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”