Student Program

NSMMS & CRASTE are pleased to announce the student program for the 2024 event. Our committees recognize the criticality in engaging and encouraging students in these fields in order to strengthen workforce development across the industry and help usher in a capable new generation of engineers and research scientists who will one day take lead in our Country's space Pursuits.

The 2024 Student Program is designed to encourage collegiate student participation at both the event and in the space community, provide an opportunity to expand student’s knowledge by listening to and interacting with the experts in the field, provide networking opportunities between students and their future employers, and promote excellence in research and technology.

Program Eligibility:

Full-time graduate or undergraduate students in an engineering or related program, in good academic standing, are eligible to participate. All participants must be:

• U.S. Citizens (born or naturalized) (Required for program elements #1-8 listed above.)
• Have an active DD2345 (military and government employees are exempt). Students do not need individual DD2345 certifications, but may fall under their university’s DD2345. See the security page for more information on this. (Required for program elements #1-8.)
• Must meet one of the following criteria: taking summer courses, doing research over the summer, working an internship over the summer, or have an endorsement from their advisor/school verifying they were taking courses prior to summer break and/or are scheduled to resume courses after summer break. (Required for program elements #1 & 3-8.)
• Must submit an abstract on their suggested topic (300 words or less). (Required for program elements #1, 3, 4, & 5)
• Must submit a personal statement along with their university transcript. (Required for program element #4 if interested in being considered for the $5000 in cash awards for top three oral presentations.)

The program includes:

• Student Travel Grants
• Work-Share Program
• Oral & Poster Presentation Opportunities
• Cash Awards
• Networking Functions
• Resume & Job Boards (Onsite and Online)
• Reduced Student Registration Fee

1. Submit your Student Travel Grant Application:
   Travel grant recipients are required to either give an oral or a poster presentation of their research at the event. To be considered for oral presentation, abstracts and applications must be submitted by January 30th. After this date, applicants will only be considered for poster presentations. Grant funds can be applied towards travel and student registration expenses, and generally include funding up to $1200. To submit a travel grant application, click here. Applicants will be notified of their grant award in late-February or within two weeks of application if submitted after February.
2. Work Share Program:
   The work share program provides complimentary registration to NSMMS & CRASTE in exchange for working the equivalent of 2 of the 4 days of the conference as either an Audio-Visual Support Assistant in the technical sessions or a Door Guard/Badge Checker. Many work-share participants enjoy the extra interaction with speakers and attendees this job affords them. We will do our best to match volunteer's schedules with the times and days they would like to work. Training will be provided onsite. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Amy Voisard at avoisard@blue52productions.com. Student grant recipients are also welcome to do this as a way to stretch their grant funds further. If you are interested in this option, please indicate so on your grant application form. You do not have to be a grant recipient or a presenter at the conference to participate in the work-share opportunity.
3. Oral & Poster Presentation Opportunities
   As mentioned above, all travel grant and award recipients must present an oral or poster paper at the conference. The Call for Abstracts and Abstract submission form can be found here. Abstracts are due 30 January 2024 and abstract submitters will be notified of their status in mid-February. Most oral presentation slots are 25 minutes including time for questions. Poster papers will be co-located in the exhibit hall and will be available to attendees Monday Evening – Wednesday Evening of the conference.
4. Cash Awards – Sponsored by Northrop Grumman:
   
5. Best Student Oral Presentations
   1st Place Student Excellence Award $1200
   2nd Place Student Excellence Award $600
   3rd Place Student Excellence Award $200
   
   The best oral presentation award selection contains 3 steps:
   • Step 1: Submission of your abstract. In your abstract, please illustrate the novelty of your research. This must be received by January 30th. The abstract should be based on original work you conducted at school and you must be the primary author for the abstract. The work itself could be done in collaboration with others, but you must be one of the primary participants in the work or study. To submit an abstract, click here.
   • Step 2: Submit a personal statement along with your university transcript. This must be received by February 6th. The personal statement should be no more than one page and should address how the work/research was initiated, your final goal for the work/research, your role in the research, the contributions of your fellow co-authors, and why you feel your work/presentation should be considered for the award. Your personal statement and transcript should be sent to Chelsea Kubal at ckubal@blue52productions.com.
   • Step 3: The NSMMS & CRASTE Selection Committee will choose up to ten semi-finalists based on an evaluation of the abstract, personal statement, and academic transcript. Prize Winners will be chosen based on these items plus evaluation of the oral presentation The selection committee will announce the winners at the conclusion of the conference in Track One. The monetary prizes will be mailed out after the conference has concluded. (Please note that any prize winners receiving $600 or more will be required by the IRS to submit W-9s to the event producer, Blue52 Productions.)
6. Best Poster Presentation Cash Awards
   Cash awards will be given to the top three participating student posters in the following amounts:
   1st Place Student Excellence Award $500
   2nd Place Student Excellence Award $300
   3rd Place Student Excellence Award $200
   
   The best poster presentation award selection contains 2 steps:
   • Step 1: Submission of your abstract. In your abstract, please illustrate the novelty of your research. The abstract should be based on work/research you conducted at school and you must be one of the primary authors for the abstract. To submit an abstract, click here.
   • Step 2: The selection committee will judge the student posters based on content and presentation. Winners will be announced at the close of the conference in Track 1. The monetary prizes will be mailed out after the conference has concluded.
7. Networking Functions
   In addition to the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening receptions that involve all attendees, student program participants will also be invited to a student lunch mixer with technical subject matter experts in the industry. More details will be sent to the student participants prior to the conference. This mixer is sponsored by the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
8. Resume & Job Boards:
   There will be an online job board that students may post their resumes/CVs to and employers may post job openings. Onsite, there will be two job and resume boards available to all attendees. We encourage you to take advantage of this if you will be in the job market soon. Many past student program participants have received job offers through attendance at this event.
9. Reduced Student Registration Fee
   NSMMS & CRASTE Student program participants may qualify for a reduced registration fee of $475. You must provide proof that you are a full time undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing at time of event to be eligible for this reduced fee. Full-Time Student Attendee Registration gives you access to all programmed events but does not include a copy of the proceedings. Students who are seeking the student registration rate only and are not participating in any of the other program elements such as an oral or poster presentation or travel grant application, must submit a student verification form in addition to registering. Please note, in order to qualify for the University DD2345 you must be taking summer courses, or doing research over the summer, or have an endorsement from your advisor verifying you were taking courses prior to summer break and/or are scheduled to resume courses after summer break.
   
   Direct Questions to:
   Amy Voisard, avoisard@blue52productions.com