Education and Workforce Development with Colorado Space Grant Consortium

Barbra Sobhani, Colorado Space Grant Consortium. 

As the needs of the aerospace industry evolve, higher education needs to evolve along with it. In addition to looking at degree pathways in two- and four-year institutions, development and expansion of training, research and project opportunities for students outside the classroom are equally as important. Engaging undergraduate students early in hands-on, experiential learning is critical to the retention of students, particularly those traditionally underrepresenting in STEM fields. NASA Space Grant, represented in every state in the US, is well poised to lead the way in evolving the student experience for the aerospace workforce of the future. Colorado Space Grant Consortium is building the workforce of the future. Our programming evolves with time to accommodate the interest of the students, the technology available, and the needs of NASA and Colorado. COSGC is always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what our students can do in space but our core remains the same. The core of COSGC is embodied in our three strategic goals: Fostering inclusive student engagement, hands-on and research projects, and partnerships. COSGC provides statewide training workshops and design challenges, student scholarships and student internships. Through innovative partnerships, COSGC connects students and new aerospace companies and offers summer project and internship placements. These internships, coupled with the skills development workshops COSGC provides, is an important part of the development and growth of the talent pipeline. 

Poster PDF: https://www.colorado.edu/csl/media/1196