Space is a vast frontier area that requires interdisciplinary collaboration. Though the emerging industry pulls from fields like business, communications and the arts, there is often no clear pathway for students outside the traditional STEM fields to engage with it.
The ASU Space Student Ambassadors Program connects students interested in space and shares various ways students can get involved while developing professional skills with networking opportunities. Students who may be interested have until the end of March to apply for the program.
At the recent Arizona Space Summit, the current ambassadors had the opportunity to represent the Interplanetary Initiative and have conversations with different space industry stakeholders.
For space student ambassador Ana Girish, a senior studying aerospace engineering, a highlight of the event was networking with professionals like James Crowell, CEO of Crow Industries, which builds autonomous ground vehicles for defense, mining and space.
Beyond standard networking, the program offers unique opportunities for its ambassadors to engage with experts in the field.
Brooke Owen, senior program coordinator for student engagement with ASU's Interplanetary Initiative, said the ambassadors had lunch with a systems engineer from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Tracy Drain.
Along with exciting opportunities to develop skills and networking, ambassadors carry responsibilities. Specifically, they are required to meet every week on Mondays at 3 p.m. on the Tempe campus, where the majority of the programming happens. In these meetings, career services will give lectures on best practices for networking, or speakers will share their journeys and answer questions.
"We were really excited to welcome one of our alumni to a recent meeting," Owen said. "He was able to talk about his experience (in grad school) and give tips on how to apply for grad school and what the actual process is, walking the students through and answering their questions."
Ambassadors also participate in three or more volunteer events each semester and complete cohort projects related to their teams. The program has three subcommittees: social media, outreach and team cohesion.
For Elliot Weaver, a senior studying mechanical engineering and a space ambassador, being a part of the program pushed him out of his comfort zone.
"I'd always just been like, 'I'm just going to get it done myself,' but the space ambassador program showed me that sometimes … there can be strength in numbers when you have the right community around you," Weaver said.
ASU Space Student Ambassadors accepts students from various majors and disciplines studying at the ASU Tempe, downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, and West Valley campuses. Students who wish to become ambassadors must be in their third year at ASU or higher. Students must also be available for the weekly team meeting on Mondays at 3 p.m. at the Tempe campus.
"We want them to gain a little bit of leadership experience as it is, continuing to develop those skills and then really prepare them for their careers," Owen said.
Regarding the application, Girish suggested that students highlight their passion for space and desire to make a difference in the industry.
The application will close on Sunday, March 30, at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time.
Edited by Sophia Ramirez, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at hhuynh18@asu.edu.
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Nhi HuynhSciTech Reporter
Nhi is a freshman studying health care coordination. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked as a content creator.
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