Working with the award winning Hartnell NASA-CIPA and NSF sponsored  programs at Hartnell Community College, the Cebrowski Institute coordinates a robust summer student intern program, matching undergraduate students who excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines with NPS research faculty. NPS provides graduate research assistant opportunities for students, providing a “kick-start” when the students transfer to a 4-year university.  The Naval Postgraduate School was presented with the Hartnell President's Partnership of Excellence Award because of our key partnership in these opportunities.

                                                                                                                                                                         
Undergraduate students work with NPS faculty on non-sensitive/non-classified projects at labs such as the Space Systems Academic Group, Ocean Turbulence Lab, Nanosatellite Advanced Concepts Lab, and the DISE Group.   An example of a project was focused on developing commercial, off-the-shelf wireless communications systems for use in humanitarian assistance/disaster relief scenarios as part of the Cebrowski Institute’s Hastily Formed Networks research area. Another project culminated in the application of the calibrated units on air-breathing and rocket-based propulsion systems to determine the operating performance of particular systems.

Several of the NPS interns have earned awards and scholarships as a result of their academic merit and early research experience.  For example, Rodrigo Sanchez  interned during the summer of 2010 with Pooya Sekhavat in the Control and Optimization Labs working on unmanned vehicle motion planning and worked with Mechanical and Astronomical Engineering Department Chair Knox Millsaps the previous summer on improving gas turbine engine cell instrumentation, was  awarded the NASA MUST (Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology) award.  In addition to tuition assistance, he is in a paid internship at a NASA Center this summer.  Two previous NPS interns have also won this esteemed award as well as Chris Halcon earning it this year for the forth in a row!

Alumni information is showing that the partnership is succeeding!  The students that participated in this program are graduating and going on to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees at rates that are unparalleled compared to their constituents at other community colleges.   Additionally, a high percentage of these placements go on to be hired as Research Assistants with their mentor at NPS.