Shorewood student part of Phase One of Aerospace Scholars Program at Museum of Flight

Washington Aerospace Scholars Program
at the Museum of Flight

The Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program, hosted at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, is a competitive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education program for high school juniors from across Washington State and is an affiliate of NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program.

A partnership with the University of Washington also gives WAS Phase One participants the option to receive five University of Washington credits in Space and Space Travel (ESS 102) for their successful completion of the online Phase One curriculum. These credits satisfy the Natural World area of knowledge requirement for graduation from the University of Washington.

Shorewood High School student Nebiyou Abunie is participating in this competitive education program for high school juniors from across Washington State. The program is an affiliate of NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program.

Abunie applied in fall of 2013, along with 308 student applicants from 112 different public, private and home-school organizations, to participate in Phase One of WAS. Abunie is now among the 214 students still participating and has already completed seven online lessons.

The group will spend the next two months continuing to compete for one of the 160 slots available in a Summer Residency session held at The Museum of Flight this June and July. In the summer residency experience, student collaborate on the design of a human mission to Mars guided by professional engineers, scientists, university students and certified educators. 

Founded in 2006 by five-time NASA shuttle astronaut Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, the WAS program’s primary goal is to excite and prepare student to pursue careers pathways in STEM fields.

The WAS program is possible with support from The Museum of Flight, The Boeing Company, The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, The GenCorp Foundation, and many individual donors.

Washington Aerospace Scholars applications for the 2014-15 program cycle will be available late summer 2014 at the Museum of Flight website. WAS participants must be high school juniors, United States citizens and Washington State residents with a 3.0 minimum grade-point-average.