Name: Andrew Clare

Where did you do your F/ASIP internship?

Army Research Laboratories at NASA Langley.

I utilized the finite element based tool Dymore to model the structural vibrations of wings.  I coupled CFD programs with Dymore’s Computational Structural Dynamics analysis using Matlab and C++, which is useful for modeling highly flexible aircraft and tiltrotor aircraft.  I also performed data acquisition and analysis during a wind tunnel test in NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. I developed a MATLAB program to filter and export data for analysis.  I learned about aeroelasticity, structures, and vibration analysis – which was really useful for Course 16.  I gained tangible coding skills in C++.  Finally, I had the chance to network with many NASA and ARL engineers and research scientists, along with private industry scientists and engineers who were conducting tests in the Wind Tunnel.

What different search strategies did you use to find your internship?

To find my internship, I employed a variety of strategies.  I applied online to job postings through Monstertrak, including the F/ASIP-specific positions.  I attended the MIT Career Fairs and applied directly to companies through their websites.  I also tried to find job opportunities through networking, which is actually how I obtained my summer internship with the Army Research Laboratories at NASA Langley.  I was able to attend the Army Science Conference, where I met one of the higher-up managers in the Army Research Laboratories (ARL).  I talked to him about ARL and discussed some of the classes and activities I had been involved with both at MIT and in high school.  When I mentioned that I was looking for a summer internship, he told me to send him my resume.  After he passed my resume around, one of the hiring managers contacted me for a phone interview, which led to an interview on-site, and an internship offer!

What made you decide to work there?

I thought it was an amazing opportunity to work at a NASA research center having only completed my freshmen year at MIT.  As a Course 16 student, working at NASA is something that you dream about.

What was the "coolest" thing tabout your internship?

The coolest thing about my internship was that every morning when I drove to work, there were brand new F-22s landing over the roadway into the base, since NASA Langley shares a runway with Langley Air Force Base, which was one of the first Air Force bases in the country to receive F-22s.  Beyond that, it was very cool seeing actual Wind Tunnel tests of a variety of wings and rotors.  And my group was very fun, eating lunch together daily and playing sports in the evenings after work.

Do you have any advice for future F/ASIP students?

Get out there and network as much as possible, both to get an internship and when you’re at your internship.  The best jobs are rarely advertised openly on career websites, they’re found through networking and knowing people.  Once on the job, I looked up other NASA engineers at the base, emailed them, and had meetings or lunch with a bunch of them.  I asked them everything from how they got started in their career, what they thought of NASA, where else they had worked, what advice they had for a student entering the aerospace industry, etc.  I got a lot of great advice and made some friends that I still speak to even today!