West Virginia University student Jason Gross was recently honored with the NASA Academys prestigious Robert H. Goddard Research Award.

The award was presented to Gross at the conclusion of the Academy, which he attended this summer along with 16 other college students from around the nation and world.

Gross is a mechanical and aerospace engineering major at the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

The Academy takes place at the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. A select group of gifted students are recruited and developed for leadership positions in aerospace programs.

In addition to working on research projects under the guidance of NASA scientists, students attend lectures and meetings with people in the aerospace industry and visit NASA facilities around the country.

I am passionate about two things,said Gross, who served as WVU s student body president last year.One is space, and one is West Virginia University.

Many of the students at the Academy came from top-ranked schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Virginia Tech and others,he said.At first, I was intimidated by that. Then I realized that I was just as prepared as the others.

I am very proud of this award, not just for myself, but also for what it says about WVU ,”Gross added.”I would put the education that I have received here up against the preparation I could have received anywhere else in the world.

Gross received the award for his work on the James Webb Space Telescope. The Webb Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2013, is the scientific successor to the Hubble Telescope, and is designed to increase knowledge and understanding of the history of the universe.

Gross started working on the project in the summer of 2005 as a participant in NASA s Student Internship Program and continued his efforts this year during the Academy.

The Goddard Research Award�€named after the famous pioneer of liquid fueled rocketry�€was based on the judging of a poster session, final presentation and feedback from NASA scientists.

Jason has been doing outstanding work for us for two summers running,said Henry Sampler, one of the NASA scientists who supervised Grosss research.His contribution to the James Webb Space Telescope Project has been clear and quantitative and is applicable to other projects as well. He is highly deserving of this award.

Gross is a member of the Mortar Board Senior Honorary and Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honorary.

Last summer,he participated in the WVU Microgravity Team, led by mechanical and aerospace engineering professor John Kuhlman and civil engineering professor Donald Gray. The team conducted an experiment in microgravity at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Gross will complete bachelors degrees in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering in December and then plans to attend graduate school at WVU .

I plan to earn a doctorate in aerospace engineering,he said.My dream is to be a NASA engineer and one day a research professor.

I am very proud of Jason for this honor, which is well deserved,said Gene Cilento, Glen Hiner dean of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.We fully expect to see great things from him in the future.

Gross credited the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources for supporting his interest in aerospace programs, especially for helping him gain acceptance to both the NASA Student Internship Program and the Academy. The Consortium annually awards NASA internships, scholarships and research fellowships to dozens of college students in West Virginia.

Healso credited the WVU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering for supporting and encouraging him.

I love West Virginia University,Gross said.And I am so grateful for the education I have received here.