Out-of-This-World Opportunities: Brookdale Students Selected for NASA Internship Program

Seven Brookdale Community College students have been selected to join the twelfth cohort of the NASA-sponsored internship program through the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC), marking another milestone in Brookdale’s growing leadership in STEM education and research.

The NASA internship program connects community college students with faculty mentors to conduct original research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each project advances innovation in areas ranging from environmental sustainability to space exploration.

“Our partnership with NASA and the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium reflects Brookdale’s commitment to providing transformative learning experiences,” said David M. Stout, Ph.D., president of Brookdale Community College. “These students exemplify the power of curiosity and discovery that defines our STEM programs and our mission to inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators.”

This year’s interns and their projects include:

• Saylor Whiteman (Oceanport, NJ): Impact of Heavy Metal Exposure on the Reproductive Success of the Terrestrial Isopod, Porcellio scaber — Mentor: Prof. Robert Martens
• Adam Deinhardt (Howell, NJ): Topological Field Theory of Plasma Instability: A Geometric Approach to Fusion Plasma Dynamics — Mentor: Prof. Spyro Roubos
• Cesar Sanchez: Evaluating the Feasibility of Vine Robots in Mars Exploration Missions — Mentor: Dr. Christopher Ochs
• Jake Laird (Red Bank, NJ): Autonomous Dust Removal System for Solar Panels: For Missions on the Moon and Mars — Mentor: Daniel Cooperman
• Christina Weber (Aberdeen, NJ): Plastic Preferences? Investigating Microplastic Accumulation in Marine Copepods — Mentor: Prof. Bob Gant
• Katya Andrex (Union Beach, NJ): The Restorative Potential of Algae as a Biofertilizer — Mentor: Prof. Juliette Goulet
• Alexandra Kinsley (Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ): Coastal Resilience and Climate Risk in the NY–NJ Region, conducted in collaboration with Rutgers University’s Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH). Faculty advisor: Prof. Juliette Goulet and Rutgers co-mentor: Ph.D. student in the MACH program.

The internship program pairs each student with distinguished mentors from Brookdale Community College, Nokia Bell Labs, Rutgers University, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. This collaboration ensures students receive guidance from both accomplished educators and leading industry scientists, bridging academic research with real-world innovation.

“The NASA internship provides students with professional experience and scientific rigor that set them apart when they transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce,” said Ana Teodorescu, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and co-coordinator of the NASA/New Jersey Space Grant Consortium STEM Internship Program. “It’s incredible to see how our students rise to the challenge of conducting real-world research alongside scientists and engineers. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Juliette Goulet, who joined me this year as co-coordinator. Many of the new opportunities available to our students stem from her hard work and strong partnerships with colleagues at Rutgers University.”

The NJSGC was established by NASA to foster research, innovation, and STEM education in New Jersey. Brookdale’s interns work one-on-one with mentors throughout the academic year, gaining valuable experience in laboratory and research methods, and presenting their findings at the annual Student Showcase or Honors Symposium.

Brookdale’s NASA internships are open to full-time students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics who maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

For more information about Brookdale’s STEM internship opportunities, visit www.brookdalecc.edu/STEM.