UMKC Student Accepts NASA Internship

Forrest Black to Study Weather’s Impact on National Airspace System

Forrest Black, a University of Missouri-Kansas City geosciences graduate student, received the opportunity of a lifetime when he was recently offered an internship position with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

According to Black, NASA maintains a less than seven percent acceptance rate for their internship programs, so he was surprised when he was offered a position shortly after submitting his application online.

“I tell my students all the time, ‘do your best and be ready for when opportunities come,’ ” said University of Missouri-Kansas City Associate Professor of Geosciences Jejung “JJ” Lee, Ph.D. As students prepare to seek opportunities that will propel them toward their future careers, Lee says they must also be committed to preparing for opportunities that will present themselves.

For Black, an internship opportunity with NASA is one he has spent several years preparing for.

“I applied for four internship positions at NASA, and I feel like I got the best one,” said Black, adding that the project he will be working on during his internship will allow him to further develop his skillset in areas like computer programming.

Black’s mission at NASA is to research major weather events that have impacted the National Airspace System (airports, navigation facilities and airspaces of the U.S.), then develop a tool that can reconstruct the evolution of those events using weather and flight data. Black is anxious to see how the reconstruction tool will be used in the future.

“This internship will allow Forrest the opportunity to witness the intensity and competitiveness of scientific research,” said Lee, who has mentored Black throughout his graduate school career.

Black said his undergraduate career in geography led him to study geosciences, because those courses allowed him to utilize a variety of his talents, including graphic design. After graduating from UMKC in 2010 with his bachelor’s degree in geography and a minor in Spanish, Black had a difficult time finding work in his field.

“The recession was bad,” said Black. “I had a 4.0, but there were graduate students applying for the same jobs with more experience.” So he accepted Lee’s invitation to assist with a NASA-funded research project focused on how biomass burning effects climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Black, his academic career at UMKC is a key contributor to his preparation for NASA.

“I talk to friends at different colleges that tell me they have good teachers and bad teachers,” said Black. “That isn’t the case at UMKC.” Black says he can’t recall a single class he’s taken where he hasn’t learned anything useful.

Although education played an important role in Black’s preparation, he says the experience he’s gained at UMKC has made the most impact. He cites several examples, such as his graduate teaching experience, as having enhanced his leadership, presentation and communication skills.

“You have to communicate in a way that helps people understand what you are doing,” said Lee, seconding the growth he’s seen in Black throughout their time working together.

Excited to see what NASA has in store for him this semester, Black will relocate to Hampton to begin work on August 22 until December 9.

“I’m looking forward to getting more research experience. I could definitely use this platform to launch into my future career,” said Black. After graduation in December, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. and continue working in research.

Black says NASA has been known to invite interns back for full-time work, and he hopes such will be the case for him.

Kelsey Haynes | Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications


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