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Early this year, she attended the agency’s workshop at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Ngo is one of 80 students from community colleges in 28 states and Puerto Rico that have taken part in two NASA workshops in Pasadena and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The space agency’s program encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and more than 330 students nationwide have applied so far.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Ngo said. “The highlight of the trip was sharing the video conference room with the engineers and scientists at NASA, going over their results obtained from the rover, ‘Opportunity,’ currently exploring Mars. We also got to see how they plan out their mission and how they give the rover commands of what to do for the next few days. Although most of us did not fully understand the technical terminology and the ‘space language,’ it was an eye-opening experience getting to see how the job was being done.”

Ngo, who plans on transferring to Portland State University to get her bachelor’s degree in math, was selected after her completion of a web-based assignment and essay during the school year. Once at the workshop, she will have to complete a summary of mission goals and objectives, timeline and budget, and a line drawing of the rover and its mission to Mars.

“This innovative experience allows students to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to technical questions in the real world, simulating what NASA engineers and scientists do every day,” said Leland Melvin, NASA associate administrator for education. “It will help them develop the skills they need to be the problem solving explorers of tomorrow.”