Higher Education Programs

CaSGC Higher Education Programs

One of the highest priorities of the CaSGC is to develop an effective aerospace learning environment that has both curricular excellence as well as hands-on skill development efforts. Each of the CaSGC affiliates contributes to both areas throughout California.

Over the past two years, almost every California Space Grant affiliate has initiated student/mentor projects covering some aspect of aerospace-related R&D, workforce development, education, and public outreach. Each of these student-mentor programs demonstrates baseline characteristics that the aerospace community has realized are critical for solving the high tech workforce problems in California. Those baseline characteristics are as follows:

  • Strong engineering and science curricular programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels
  • Strong use of web-assisted distance learning technologies
  • Experiential learning through “real” aerospace-related projects
  • Highest priority given to workforce skill development of students & mentors
  • Emphasizes students experiencing mission life cycle (define, design, build, fly, analyze) in less than 2 years
  • Community-based private – public partnerships
  • Involves industry, government (local, State, and Federal) and academia for mentors, facilities, and investment

In addition the CaSGC, in partnership with the National Space Grant Foundation and the California Space Grant Foundation, have initiated intern and research experience programs at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC).

The following affiliate higher education programs are examples of ongoing efforts:

  • Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo Student – Mentor Program
  • CSU Long Beach – California Launch Vehicle Initiative
  • Stanford University Student – Mentor Satellite Program
  • UC Los Angeles — Development of On-Line Learning Tools
  • UC San Diego Cessna/ONR Student Design/Build/Fly Competition
  • CaSGC Education Associates Program at NASA Ames Research Center
  • CaSGC Student/Mentor Design, Research and Operations Projects at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
  • UC San Diego Space Science and Engineering Minor
  • UC San Diego Aerospace Engineering Program