When Jason Gross first saw the movieApollo 13, he was intrigued by the mystery of space. Since there had not been a moon-landing or major manned space exploration during his lifetime, the movie was the most realistic glimpse of space hed seen. He had to know more.
Last summer, Gross was accepted into NASA s most prestigious internship program�€the NASA Academy held at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He was one of only 17 interns picked from across the United States and Europe. At the conclusion of the academy, Gross received their highest honor, the Robert H. Goddard Research Award, for his work on the James Webb Telescope. This telescope is slated to be launched in 2013 as the successor of the Hubble Telescope.
We were allowed to pick what project we wanted to work on. The idea was to continue what past interns had started,Gross said.Well, in my case, I was the past intern who started this research.He worked to reduce contamination threats due to malfunctions from temperature differences.
The interns thought it was a great learning experience, but we didnt know there would be an award,Gross said.So, I was completely shocked when I won.The award was based on a letter written by his mentor, as well as a poster session and final presentation.
Although he was honored with NASA s most prestigious internship award, he would rather the award reflect on WVU :I just want WVU to continue to grow. I want to make people aware that we have a great college of engineering. My hope is that bright students, or �€~space geekslike myself, from all over can study space here,he said.
Dr. John Kuhlman worked with Jason on a microgravity project at NASA s Johnson Space Center in Texas two years ago. Gross performed an experiment in a weightless environment. Dr. Kuhlman said that an attention to detail, good communication skills, and an ability to see things through have helped Gross succeed.
There is a sense of pride that someone from our program is succeeding beyond West Virginia University,Kuhlman added.Its good to know we are delivering a quality program and turning out quality graduates.
Gross also credits his high school physics teacher, Michael Roh, for sparking his interest in engineering. A WVU graduate and West Virginia native, Roh holds a masters in mechanical engineering, but discovered his love for teaching after spending time in the Peace Corps. He has been a math and physics teacher at University High in Morgantown since 1995.
This award-winning teacher describes Jason asan excellent student with all the intangibles needed to succeed.He said Gross is caring, honest, and has an incredible work ethic.
Ultimately, an engineer is a problem solver, and that is really what Gross is whether it is in student government (Gross served as the WVU Student Government Association President last year) or academics,Roh said.That is how I know he will be successful.
Gross received bachelors degrees for mechanical and aerospace engineering in December, and plans to continue his graduate studies at WVU under Dr. Marcello Napolitano. His ultimate plans are to earn his PhD and become a NASA researcher:Id love to be a part of the trip back to the moon and eventually Mars.
Gross believes that the University has given him the support system he needs to succeed.I love WVU and Morgantown. Im fortunate to be at a place that I love, doing what I love to do.