NASA Days a success, jobs still available for veterans, people with disabilities

October 30, 2014
One lure to have made NASA Days so popular might have been the free smartphone apps that were hot items at the registration desk. Downloadable via cards with QR codes printed on them, the apps can be used to make it appear spacecraft are floating in space in photos taken with smartphones. The Spacecaft 3D apps are also available online. (Photo by Charles Smith, JSU)

The time called NASA Days — when recruiters from Kennedy, Stennis and other space centers converge on JSU — is over this year, but jobs are still available for veterans and students with disabilities.

One lure to have made NASA Days so popular might have been the free smartphone apps that were hot items at the registration desk. Downloadable via cards with QR codes printed on them, the apps can be used to make it appear spacecraft are floating in space in photos taken with smartphones. The Spacecaft 3D apps are also available online. (Photo by Charles Smith, JSU)
One lure to have made NASA Days so popular might have been the free smartphone apps that were hot items at the registration desk. Downloadable via cards with QR codes printed on them, the apps can be used to make it appear spacecraft are floating in space in photos taken with smartphones. The Spacecaft 3D apps are also available online. (Photo by Charles Smith, JSU)

NASA has a preference for veterans and individuals with disabilities and offers year-round hiring under special hiring authority, according Lisa Singleton, a Kennedy Space Center recruiter.

Not only are jobs provided through the Pathways program that NASA officials offered last week in workshops on the JSU campus, but NASA also hires through an open-continuous announcement on https://nasajobs.nasa.gov with special hiring authorities for veterans and people with disabilities.

For more information for veterans about jobs at other federal agencies, see www.fedshirevets.gov

For people with disabilities, jobs are available for other federal agencies, as well. The web page for more information is: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Individuals_with_Disabilities

Education and career training opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas through the Pathways program can be seen at: www.pathwaystoscience.org

NASA is offering:

— More than 650 paid summer research experiences for undergraduates

— More than 300 graduate fellowships, mentoring and professional development opportunies

— More than 250 post-doctoral opportunities

Last week’s NASA Days was a tremendous success, according to Almesha L. Campbell of the JSU Division of Research and Federal Relations.  More than 150 students attended one day’s events, exceeding last year’s tally.

During the NASA Days , Oct. 21-23, recruiters were primarily looking for students majoring in STEM programs, but they were also interested in business and liberal arts students.

One lure might have been the free smartphone apps that were hot items at the registration desk. Downloadable via cards with qr codes printed on them, the apps can be used to make it appear spacecraft are floating in space in photos taken with smartphones. The Spacecaft 3D apps are also available online, said Singleton.

For more on NASA smartphone and tablet apps, see: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/apps.html#.VEZ7td66iX0