From: byaa741@chpc.utexas.edu (SLSTP)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Space Life Sciences Training Program (NASA)
Keywords: Space Life Sciences, Education
Date: 28 Sep 92 18:42:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The University of Texas System CHPC


***** ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY *****
      American Undergraduates

1993 Space Life Sciences Training Program
A Summer Program at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Sponsored by NASA, Bionetics Corporation, Florida A&M University


The Space Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP) is an investment in
tomorrow. It is an intensive six-week training program at the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida for college students interested in Life
Sciences, Pre-Medicine, Bioengineering or related fields. The program
will allow students to participate in the conceptualization, 
preparation, preflight and postflight testing, data analysis, and
report preparation phases of space flight experiments and NASA life
sciences research.

The program is scheduled for mid-June through the end of July 1993. 
After the successful completion of the program, five semester hours 
of tuition free college credit will be offered to each student through
Florida A&M University, which is also responsible for program promotion,
student recruitment, selection, travel, housing, program evaluation,
and academic consultation.

The purpose of SLSTP is to attract college students interested in research
germane to the NASA field of Space Life Sciences. Participants will gain
insight into how space life sciences flight experiments are conducted as
well as explore future research opportunities in space life sciences.
After completion of this program and subsequent professional training,
the end result should be a pool of talented research scientists employed
in universities, industries, and NASA with practical experience in the
flight of life sciences experiments in space.

The six week SLSTP curriculum will involve morning lectures by leading 
research scientists, managers, engineers, and astronauts from NASA Centers,
distinguished universities, and industry. Tours of the KSC shuttle and 
payload facilities will provide students firsthand knowledge of the 
processes involved between arrival of a life sciences flight experiment 
at KSC and final integration of that experiment into the shuttle. In the
afternoons, students will be actively involved in the planning and 
execution of experiments that span the range of life sciences research
of current interest to NASA. These experiments have been chosen to provide
the trainees with experience in as many aspects of flight experiment
development as possible - from experiment conception and design to timeline
development, protocol testing, and actual flight operations. Evening
and weekend activities will be scheduled to include informal discussions
with visiting lecturers and astronauts and work on special projects. The
curriculum will emphasize the unique features of experiments conducted
in the spaceflight environment which include weightlessness, space
limitations, and issues of compatibility with other on-board experiment
requirements.

Some of the potential flight experiments in which the students may become
involved include plant studies, animal development projects, human studies
of sensory conflict, and environmental studies related to spaceflight.
Student activities will include the opportunity to participate in 
development and testing of operational protocols, performance of ground
based control experiments, direction, analysis, and evaluation of
postflight testing sessions, as well as participation in the implementation
of actual shuttle flight experiments when possible. Students will be 
divided into groups of 9 to 10 and work in a rotating schedule on each
of the experiments, with opportunity for additional emphasis in at least
one project.

Students will receive round trip transportation between their home and
the Orlando International Airport in Florida, free accommodations in the
Cocoa Beach area near Kennedy Space Center, and local transportation to
and from the space center. Students will also receive a daily meal 
allowance which should also cover other expenses. This program costs
nothing to the student - there is no registration fee.


***** HOW TO APPLY *****

Student enrollment is limited to 36 to 40 currently enrolled undergraduate
college students:

-> Eligibility is limited to currently enrolled undergraduate students who
are pursuing their first undergraduate degree.

-> A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher at the time of application
is required.

-> Graduating seniors (those students who complete their senior year 
prior to the start of the program in mid-June are not eligible to apply.
Fourth year seniors going to their fifth year are eligible.

-> Minimum age requirement is 16 years old

-> United States citizenship is mandatory. There are no exceptions.

-> Eligible majors include: Animal Sciences, Biochemistry, Biology,
Biophysics, Biostatistics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecology,
Engineering, Geology, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics,
Plant Sciences, Pre-Medicine, Psychology.

If you have a question about the eligibility of your major, please call
the program office at 904-599-3636.

-> Previous SLSTP participants are NOT ELIGIBLE FOR A SECOND EXPERIENCE.


Application materials include:

-> A completed SLSTP Application form filled out in BLACK INK

-> An official transcript from every college or university attended up to
and including Fall 1992. Transcripts in the possession of the applicant
will not be accepted. 

-> A SLSTP postcard on which you will write you address. It will be 
sent back to you when all of you application materials have been received
in our office.

-> A 500 word typed double spaced essay which will be used to evaluate the
applicant's experience and written communication skills. The essay should
relate to the classroom, laboratory and research experiences of the 
applicant in the sciences. Moreover, the career goals of the applicant
should be concisely stated. Print you full name on each page of the essay.

-> Three completed reference request forms from persons familiar with
you academic record. This is very very important.


Application requests should be sent to:

Program Director, SLSTP
Florida A&M University
College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
106 Honor House
Tallahassee, FL 32307

or call (904) 599-3636


The following application materials must be post-marked no later than 
January 31, 1993 and be sent to the same address. ALL necessary credentials
must be on file before an application will be processed.

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance or non-acceptance no
later than March 31, 1993.

This is a worthwhile experience. Most of the students that participate
in SLSTP regard it best educational experience of their lives. If you
have any interest in space, please apply. I was a student in 1990 and a 
staff member in 1992. If you have any questions regarding the program 
(that are not of an application nature), you can contact me at 
byaa741@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu

For questions regarding the application, contact the program office.