![]() ![]() Their mission is to create an ultra-cold quantum gas called a Bose-Einstein condensate, which is a state of matter that forms only at just above absolute zero. Since the mission was proposed in 2012, Sengupta has been leading a team of engineers and atomic physicists in developing an instrument that can see the unseen. Most recently, she’s carved out a niche as the project manager for an atomic physics mission, called the Cold Atom Laboratory, or CAL. Sengupta and other members of the entry, descent and landing team for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discuss the nail-biting details of the August 2012 landing. She’s already taken on roles developing launch vehicles, the parachute that famously helped land the Mars rover Curiosity, and deep-space propulsion systems for missions to comets and asteroids. In a team of professional ghost busters, Anita Sengupta would most certainly be the enthusiastic and multi-talented leader. So if they don’t spend their days bustin’ ghosts, what do JPL's "Ghostbusters" do? Here are the stories of three women in science and engineering at JPL whose jobs, much like their “Ghosbusters” counterparts’, are to explore new realms, battle invisible forces and explain the mysteries around us. It’s an idea that has scientists and engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory excited about how it might inspire the next generation. But the new “Ghostbusters” film, which features an all-female team of scientists and engineers, busts not just ghosts, but also some of the tropes about what it means to work in science, technology, engineering and math. It’s not often that the lead characters in a blockbuster film have careers as particle physicists and nuclear engineers – and even less often that those roles are played by women. TAGS: career advice, astronaut, STEM careers From Interns to Astronauts: Former JPL Interns Join NASA Astronaut Class.They just happen to be some of the same types of things many JPL scientists and engineers did before starting their college careers that led them to a job with NASA. These are some of the steps you can take to better prepare yourself as you enter college. ![]() You can apply for opportunities as early as your freshman year of college when you are working toward a degree in a STEM major. Plan to apply for an internship at JPL or NASA.Attend maker fairs and develop the skills to design solutions to a variety of problems.(There is a great "how to" video series to help you develop your project here.) Participate in science and engineering fairs.If there are none in your school or community, start one! Join a school or community math, science, engineering or robotics club.There are many free online courses covering a wide range of math, science and programming topics. If your school doesn't offer those classes, look online. This will help you to learn the fundamentals of science and math. If you have the ability to choose your elective classes, take the challenging math, science and computer programming courses. If you're in high school, middle school or even elementary school, now is a great time to explore all of these fields of study to help you better understand the ones you like most, the ones for which you might have a natural talent, and even the ones you don't find as interesting. NASA is looking for people with a degree in engineering, biological science, physical science (like physics, chemistry or geology), computer science or mathematics. ![]() Not every STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree will qualify you to be an astronaut.
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