Two Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science (COES) students will spend the summer at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where they will work with Center staff on NASA projects.

Elizabeth Kibodeaux, biomedical engineering, and Daniel Goss, electrical engineering, have received internships sponsored by the Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE). LaSPACE internships are competitive awards that provide unique NASA-related research and operational experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as educators.

“Internship opportunities always give our students the chance to gain invaluable, on the site, job training that will help them be more successful in the future,” Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, molecular science and nanotechnology, and nanosystems engineering at Louisiana Tech and UniversityLaSPACE representative said. “Over the past several years we’ve been fortunate to have several COES undergraduate students selected to participate in the NASA summer internship program. The internship opportunity for these students has led to other NASA opportunities.”

Both Kibodeaux and Goss say that they are thankful for the internship and for the experiences at Louisiana Tech that have led them to Stennis Space Center.

“The application required that I submit, not only information about my coursework, but I also had to provide information on my activities outside of class,” Kibodeaux said. “Being a Tech student has provided me with many opportunities to get involved and volunteer, which provides me with experience and helps me relieve some stress from studying, improving my grades and boosting resumes for applications such as these. I’m grateful for this opportunity to further develop my skills.”

“I was able to join Tech Leadership Counsel freshman year which helped further my leadership skills,” Goss added. “During that time, a group of students and I started the process of creating an on-campus ministry. The next year we were an official organization, Engage Campus Ministry. These extracurricular activities, in addition to my coursework and research, helped prepare me for the upcoming internship. I look forward to this new opportunity.”