Sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) since its inception in 1980, the Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) is designed for students who have demonstrated an interest in and aptitude for mathematics, science, engineering and technology. One of SHARP's objectives is to encourage the career paths of pre-college students who have been traditionally underrepresented in these fields. SHARP is conducted at eleven participating NASA Field Installations throughout the United States.

Each year, approximately 200 students are selected to participate in SHARP for a minimum of eight weeks during the summer. Some of NASA's top science professionals, while conducting cutting edge research as well as working on state-of-the-art equipment, mentor qualified students. NASA's ultimate goal is to contribute to strengthening the Agency's and the nation's ability to recruit and sustain a more diverse workforce by preparing students for careers in mathematics, science, engineering and technology through successful programs like SHARP.

If you are a Sophmore or Junior in High School, are a United States Citizen, and live within 50 miles of one of the following NASA field instillations;

  • Ames Research Center
  • Dryden Flight Research Center
  • Goddard Institute for Space Studies
  • Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Glenn Research Center
  • Independent Verification & Validation Facility
  • Johnson Space Center
  • Kennedy Space Center
  • Langley Research Center
  • Marshall Space Flight Center
  • Stennis Space Center
  • Wallops Flight Facility

then you are eligable for the SHARP program. If you don't live within 50 miles of one of those instillations, then you may be eligable for the SHARP+ program at a local College or University. You can find more information on both SHARP and SHARP+ and applications at the SHARP Homepage (http://www.mtsibase.com/sharp). To get in I first sent in my application and later did an interview. I recommend going to the above website with any questions about SHARP. Just so that you know, this is commpetitive, so take your time and do a good job. In 2000, at JSC there were 123 applications, and half of that number of interviews, for 16 open spots. But be sure to get your application in on time!

Check on each of these installations' websites for other opprtunities. NASA spends a lot of effort on education, and there are many ways to get involved.

My 2000 SHARP final project:

This is my final report for the first project I did in SHARP. It's called "Methods of Cross-Section Area Redution in Space Suit Joints", and it proves the old saying about the longer the name, the less important it is true. I recomend reading "The 'Secret' of Space Suit Design" before reading this, neither one should take long and they both give a real sense of the process of design.

This project was completed in the Crew & Thermal Systems Division of Johnson Space Center, where all NASA space suit design is worked on.

 

COMING SOON: My 2001 SHARP final project:

I'm working in the same place with a new project. Right now I am in the middle of the project, so as soon as the summer is over I will post everything to this site!

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NASA does NOT sponser or endorse this site and its views are not necessary presented here. Much of the detailed space suit information presented here I gathered directly from offical NASA sites with the understanding that it abides with NASA Guidelines for the use or reproduction of NASA Materials, if you know of any violation, please inform me of it.