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Important Links: Undergraduate Fellowships Undergraduate Traineeships Previous Fellows and Trainees Fellows and Trainees Tracking Form Guidelines for Mentors Questionnaire for Mentors Seeking Fellows or Trainees Other Space-Related Opportunities for Undergraduates	Search our pages for project ideas and mentors who have worked with fellows and trainees.
Current NASA Strategic Plan (48-page .pdf document) Current NASA Goals and Outcomes (3-page .pdf document) from the current NASA Strategic Plan.

Visit our list of mentors seeking Fellows or Trainees.

Read guidelines for preparing final reports -- here [2-page pdf file]

Fellows and Trainees Tracking Form is accessible -- here.

The U.H. Manoa Space Grant office is located in the POST building, room 501.

Eligibility:
Full-time undergraduate students at the University of Hawai'i Manoa and Hilo campuses are eligible to apply for a Space Grant Undergraduate Fellowship. Undergraduate Traineeships are available to U.H. Manoa, U.H. Hilo, and Community College students, as well as students at the University of Guam. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must be sponsored by a faculty member willing to act as the student's mentor during the award period.

Projects dealing with the understanding, utilization, or exploration of space or with the investigation of Earth from space are appropriate. Majors of successful applicants include, but are not limited to: Anthropology, Astronomy, Biology, Biochemistry, Biosystems Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Education, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Studies, Finance, Geography, Geology & Geophysics, Global Environmental Science, Journalism, Law, Liberal Arts, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Meteorology, Physical Oceanography, Physics, Physiology, Pre-Medicine, Psychology, and Zoology. Additional information on NASA programs and themes can be found on the Links page.

Applications:
Applications are available from Space Grant offices at Manoa or Hilo campuses or the Community Colleges. You may call the Manoa office for more information at (808) 956-3138 or contact Dr. Ed Scott at escott@higp.hawaii.edu. Undergraduate application deadlines are: June 15 for fall semester and December 1 for spring semester.

Click on the links below to download an application now. These are .pdf documents:
INFORMATION and APPLICATION for Undergraduate Fellowship

INFORMATION and APPLICATION for Undergraduate Traineeship at Manoa & Hilo

INFORMATION and APPLICATION for Undergraduate Traineeship at a Community College

These forms can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free by clicking this button:   [Install Acrobat Reader]

NOTE: These are multiple-page documents. We've made the form fillable on your computer. You may type your information onto the Application Cover Page using Acrobat Reader then print. Be sure to obtain all required signatures before you submit your papers to the Space Grant office.

The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awards undergraduate fellowships to students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Hilo. The goals of Space Grant Programs are to help strengthen national capabilities in space-related math and science fields, to help prepare the future generation of space scientists and engineers, and to increase the understanding and development of space. The awards are given for space-related research and provide a stipend of $3000 per semester to each recipient.

Fellows are also eligible for travel and supply funds up to $500 per semester. In previous semesters, these funds have been used for activities including observing runs at the Mauna Kea telescopes, fieldwork to collect ground-truth information, on land and sea, for interpreting satellite data of the Hawaiian Islands and other locations, and travel to meetings to present project results.

University of Hawai'i at Manoa:

• Jessica Ayau, a sophomore in Education, will be working on a project titled, "Identification and Mapping of Hawaiian Coral Reefs Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing." Jessica's study area will be off the coast of O'ahu and she will combine ocean field work with a supervised-classification mapping technique on airborne remote sensing data. Dr. Barbara Bruno of the Center for Microbial Oceanography and Harold Garbeil of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology are serving as mentors.

• Nathan Britton, a senior in Information and Computer Science, is combining his interests in gaming software and space exploration to create a game engine for diverse space and planetary environments. Nathan's project, "Space Sports/Training Simulation," addresses design and programming issues as well as accurate physical parameters for humans and objects interacting in a variety of settings. Dr. Kim Binsted of the Department of Information and Computer Science continues to serve as mentor.
• Chak Shing Jackie Chan, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will be researching the hardware requirements and configuration needed for the attitude control subsystem of a small satellite in low-Earth orbit. Chak Shing's project, titled "Preliminary Hardware Design of the Attitude Control Subsystem" is being conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Amit Sanyal of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
• Jeremy Chan, a junior in Electrical Engineering, is joining the Kumu A'o CubeSat team to work on the command and data handling subsystem. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Jeremy and undergraduate teammates are working to develop, test, launch, and operate a CubeSat mission.

• Raeanne Cobb-Adams, a sophomore in Natural Resource Environmental Management and Hawaiian Studies, will pursue her interests in green issues relevant to Hawai'i in a project titled, "Hawai'i Ocean Color: Validation of Satellite Measurements of Chlorophyll in Hawaiian Ocean Waters." Raeanne will conduct field work to support her remote sensing mapping and analysis. Dr. Barbara Bruno of the Center for Microbial Oceanography and Harold Garbeil of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology are serving as mentors.
• Aaron de Loach, a senior in Geology and Geophysics, will pursue a project titled, "Satellite Tracking of Complex Eruptive Events at Kilauea During 2007-2008." Aaron will be using GOES data for near-real-time satellite monitoring of volcanic events under the mentorship of Drs. Andy Harris and Robert Wright, both of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.
• Dennis Dugay, a senior in Electrical Engineering, will continue as lead engineer on the telecommunication subsystem for the Kumu A'o CubeSat team. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Dennis and undergraduate teammates are working to complete a low-Earth-orbiting CubeSat satellite mission, from design to construction, launch, and operations.
• Sara Fong, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will be working with mentor Dr. Weilin Qu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering on experiments to improve fuel cell efficiency. In her study titled, "Micro-Channel Methanol Steam Reformers for Fuel Cells in Space Applications" Sara will concentrate on heat transfer and system pressure measurements of methanol/water mixtures flow boiling in micrometer-sized channels.
• Vance Hashimoto, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will conduct experiments to analyze the effects of gravity on flow boiling behavior in a two-phase, liquid and vapor, cooling system. Vance is working on this project "Two-Phase Micro-Channel Heat Sink Cooling Loop for Spacecraft Thermal Control" with mentor Dr. Weilin Qu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
• Reece Iwami, a junior in Electrical Engineering, is working as a CubeSat project leader investigating planar antennas and subsystems integration in a project titled "A Planar Antenna and Modular Subsystem Design for CubeSats." Serving as mentor is Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
• Windell Jones, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue working on the Kumu A'o CubeSat team as lead of the flight software/command and data handling subsystem. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Windell and undergraduate teammates are working to develop, test, launch, and operate a CubeSat.
• Alex Le Bon, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will be conducting computer simulations of satellite thermal systems for use on a U. H. micro-satellite. Alex's mentor is Dr. Marcelo Kobayashi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
• Zachary Lee-Ho, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue working as lead project manager and systems engineer for the Kumu A'o CubeSat team. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Zachary and undergraduate teammates are working to complete a low-Earth-orbiting satellite mission.
• Michael Menendez, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue working on the structure subsystem and thermal control for the bus design and layout for the Kumu A'o CubeSat team. Michael and undergraduate teammates are working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology on a low-Earth-orbiting satellite mission.
• Lori Miyasaki, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue working with mentor Dr. Mehrdad Ghasemi Nejhad of the Department of Mechanical Engineering on research to improve the mechanical properties and performance of ceramic composite materials for use in space structures. Lori's project is titled "Processing, Performance, and Characterization of Monolith Ceramic Nanocomposites from Preceramic Polymers."
• Matthew Patterson, a junior in Electrical Engineering, will continue as lead of the power generation and distribution subsystem for the Kumu A'o CubeSat team. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Matthew and undergraduate teammates are working to complete an entire low-Earth-orbiting satellite mission, from design to construction, launch, and operations.
• Tyson Seto-Mook, a junior in Electrical Engineering, is joining the Kumu A'o CubeSat team to work on the command and data handling subsystem. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Tyson and undergraduate teammates are working to develop, test, launch, and operate a CubeSat.
• Jordan Torres, a junior in electrical Engineering, will continue working on the power system with Kumu A'o CubeSat team. Working with mentors Lloyd French and Byron Wolfe, of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Jordan and undergraduate teammates are working to complete a low-Earth-orbiting satellite mission.
• Alexis Zamora, a senior in Electrical Engineering, will continue working with mentor Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering on satellite system integration and testing. The project, titled "Packaging and Integration of Systems in Picosatellites" emphasizes designs that insure all the main systems of the satellite are working in tandem and performing efficiently and optimally.

University of Hawai'i at Hilo:

• Denny (Kaniela) Dement, a senior in Astronomy and Mathematics, is pursuing a project titled, "Upgrading QUIRC for Use in the Infrared Imaging Survey." Working with mentor Klaus Hodapp of the Insitute for Astronomy in Hilo, Kaniela will work to upgrade the infrared camera (QUIRC) while gaining experience with cryo-mechanisms, motion control electronics, and vacuum technology.
• Melissa Meiner, a senior in Geology and Marine Science, is continuing her tsunami research and education project to create a permanent Hawaiian tsunami exhibit at the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo. The exhibit will incorporate invaluable imagery from Earth-observing satellites as well as historical data on causes and effects of tsunami to further illustrate the importance of risk assessment, preparedness, and management. Melissa's project, titled "Pacific Tsunami: Continuing Research and the Formation of a Museum Exhibit" is conducted under mentor Genevieve Cain of the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
• David Trang, a senior in Astronomy, Geology, and Psychology, will work with mentor Dr. Bo Reipurth of the Institute for Astronomy on a project monitoring stars in the Orion Nebula using two robotic telescopes at Mauna Loa Observatory. The title of David's project is "Surveying Stellar Flares Using VYSOS."

CanSat Fellows:

Space Grant Community College campuses are sponsoring engineering programs for students to design, build, and test CanSats. A CanSat is a scientific experiment package, the size of a soda can and commonly launched by weather balloon or small rocket, designed to retrieve photographic, temperature, pressure, and altitude data for near-Earth, low-atmosphere experiments. The CanSat students from the different campuses have worked together and participated in ARLISS Competitions (A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellites).

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INFORMATION and APPLICATION for Undergraduate Traineeship at a Community College (Five page .pdf file, with fillable form.)

The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awards undergraduate traineeships to students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Hilo, at the Community Colleges, and at the University of Guam. The awards provide laboratory training and practical experience in any space-related field of science, engineering or math. Trainees receive a stipend between $250 to $1,000 per semester and may be eligible for an additional $250 per semester for supplies.

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Serving as a mentor for an undergraduate Space Grant fellow is one of the most effective educational activities a researcher or faculty member can do. Mentoring a student in his or her research project can provide that extra spark that makes a dramatic difference in the life of a young person and in their approach to learning. The research experience also enhances a student's education and shows how science and engineering are really done, much more than class and laboratory assignments can ever do.

To help prospective and existing mentors with this important job, the Hawai`i Space Grant Consortium offers these guidelines.

Research Ohana. If you have a large research group, feel free to share mentoring responsibilities with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Much science is done by groups, so this adds to the research experience, as long as the undergraduate fellow has his or her own, identifiable project. It is also acceptable for a postdoc, research associate, or specialist to be a mentor. If a mentor has two or more fellows, be sure that each has an identifiable project, even if the projects are related. For example, one student could develop hardware, the other software on an engineering design project.

Space Connection. Space Grant is a NASA-funded project, and everything it does must have a clear connection to space science or aerospace engineering. Thus, mentors must be sure that their students remember to discuss the link with space science or aerospace engineering, especially when writing proposals and requests for renewals, giving talks at our undergraduate fellowship symposium, and preparing their final reports.

Student's time commitment. Please remember that our fellows are undergraduates, not graduate students. They are full-time students, usually taking five courses. Consequently, they should not be expected to work more than about 15 hours per week. Sometimes a key challenge for a mentor is to be sure their fellow does not neglect his or her other school work as they become engrossed in their research project!

Laboratory duties. Our fellows are doing research projects. They are not student employees hired to clean the lab, run the copy machine, or do clerical work. Of course, everyone working in a laboratory is expected to do his or her share of laboratory maintenance, but we want to be sure that space grant fellows are treated as researchers, not non-technical employees.

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