NASA Internship Provides Hands-On Experience

An early morning phone call from NASA wasn't quite the wake up call Colleen Burrichter expected. She received the congratulatory phone call from NASA in March 1999 to welcome her as one of 14 students selected from 187 applicants from around the country for NASA's Summer Institute on Atmospheric & Hydrospheric Sciences in Maryland.

The 10-week program at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, began with NASA scientists presenting research proposals on a variety of subjects. Burrichter spent the rest of the summer researching (the topic) and working side-by-side NASA scientists, presenting her findings and submitting a written report.

"Colleen, as a freshman, showed her talent and aptitude for research," Dr. Joseph Traylor, professor of computer science and physics said. "Through the BVU science program, Colleen was able to get hands-on experience from the beginning. One of the best routes to learning is by doing, and our program is full of opportunities that, along with rigorous academics, prepare students for experiences they never imagined."

Burrichter graduated in May 2001 with a chemistry and math/physics double major.

Experiential Learning: Biology | Chemistry | Computer Science | Mathematics | Physics