Terraka Garner
Staff Writer
Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in conjunction with students from the Idaho State University Geographic Information System (GIS) Training and Research Program have launched a new DEVELOP node at Idaho State University.
The ISU node is one of eight NASA regional DEVELOP nodes in the United States.
The node is being funded by NASA and can be found in Graveley Hall, room B-19.
“We have been lucky enough to have NASA funding almost continuously since 1998,” said GIS Director Keith Weber.
For nearly two decades ISU has been operating with NASA and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Together they have been working to research wildfire causes and catastrophes in hopes of finding a way to suit environmental needs.
“The BLM and ISU are collaborating to offer a node in the northwest area of the country to go and conduct projects that use NASA’s observations and apply them to real world problems,” said NASA’s DEVELOP Operations Lead Lauren Childs-Gleason.
The DEVELOP program is centered around providing a chance at a skyrocketing future for students yearning to learn about something new and who are willing to work hard at discovering solutions.
Weber explained the program is like an internship where ISU students can receive funding to work in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education and research.
Students in the GIS DEVELOP program have the opportunity to work jointly with professional scientists such as Weber at ISU and scientists at NASA to form a fusion of theories.
STEM education policies allow these students to research in 10-week periods.
The new node is seen as an interest for big bang advancement as well as a tool for recruiting aspiring students.
“I think that it’s going to be really attractive to Idaho students,” said Weber. “We are now able to initiate research in a matter of months rather than years.”
Anyone interested in this program can send in an application online at http://develop.larc.nasa.gov/apply.html.
“[Participation in the DEVELOP program] gives an opportunity for people to conduct research at a much earlier stage in their career,” said Childs-Gleason.
This option is open to all students, graduates or undergraduates, and even to individuals outside of the university.
According to Childs-Gleason, students in the program receive leadership skills such as ideas on how to present their work, how to work on teams and how to lead teams.
Weber said that participation in the DEVELOP program creates the possibility of a strong alliance between teammates and instructors.
“It’s a great opportunity to get to know people outside of ISU,” said Weber.
There are currently four students enrolled who are working on the Idaho Disasters Research Project. Two of these students are at ISU and two are at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Each of our nodes conduct projects and collectively create the bigger national program,” said Childs-Gleason.
This is just one of the approximately 80 projects that NASA conducts every year.
“This is a work force development program,” said Childs-Gleason. “Not only do participants learn to conduct a project, but they learn things like technical writing, data processing and anything related.”
“It’s really a neat experience,” said Weber.
