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Jesse Shaver

Major: Computer Science
Internship site: NASA-Kennedy Space Center
Location: Cape Canaveral, Florida
Position: Shuttle Division Intern
Completed internship: summer before junior year
GC graduation year: 2009

Interview with Jesse

How did you find your internship?

I found this internship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), through a program called ENTRY POINT!

What were your major responsibilities?

I was helping evaluate some new software my team was considering deploying. I also assisted with reworking some internal reporting applications and analyzing vehicle uses.

What’s an important thing you learned?

One thing that I found this year is that although I had a lot of fun, Kennedy Space Center turned out to not be the best location from a computer science perspective. While I had a great time, learned, and got to see an amazing amount of interesting things (from sitting inside the space shuttle Atlantis to touring the launch pad), I do not think I would go back to Kennedy Space Center, even if I do end up back at NASA. So more generally I would say that it is very helpful to really understand what one’s role is going to be in a group.

What do you wish someone had told you before you started your internship?

Having had a few internships in the past, I am not sure what I would have wanted someone to tell me before this internship (except as mentioned above). The advice I would give to others is to really take advantage of all the opportunities available.

As an intern, people are excited that you’re excited about what they do. You’re also outside the politics of the organization generally, so you’re not a threat to anyone. If there is something that you want to see or learn about something going on at the place you’re at, even if it is in a totally different division than the one you’re in, ask about it: people are often more than happy to do whatever they can to let you see or learn about whatever it is.

What did you most and least enjoy?

What I most enjoyed about this internship was all the places it allowed me access to and all the things I saw because of it. As an intern at Kennedy Space Center I could wander around almost anywhere on the center and I was able to explore old launch facilities and walk the pristine beaches only open to badged personnel. I was also able to arrange visits to most of the major buildings of interest on the site like the Vehicle Assembly Building and sitting in the captain’s seat of the space shuttle Atlantis.

The least enjoyable part of this job was probably the speed at which large organizations like NASA work. Getting access to the computers can take a week (which for a Computer Science intern is critical). All in all, however, I had an amazing experience.