• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • May 9, 2025

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

UWM Speaker Encourages Students to Join Space Program

February 21, 2015

Students chatting with David Kankam at the Summer Opportunities event.

Students chatting with David Kankam at the Summer Opportunities event.

Would you like to be part of America’s space program?

University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee students recently had a chance to hear from a top NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) official about opportunities with the agency.

M. David Kankam, of NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC), spoke to students and faculty in January about internships, scholarships, fellowships and summer programs with the space agency.

He even collected a few resumes from interested students at a Summer Opportunities Fair.

Like many other agencies relying on talent in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, NASA is interested in diversifying its workforce.

“We’re interested in increasing diversity in our workforce,” said Kankam, as NASA competes with businesses and other engineering and scientific agencies for talented students and graduates.

“We want to get more students from underrepresented groups coming into the pipeline through NASA internships, fellowships and scholarships.”

Students chatting with David Kankam at the Summer Opportunities event.

Students chatting with David Kankam at the Summer Opportunities event.

In the morning, he spoke to students in UWM’s WiscAMP (Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation) program, a UW-System initiative that provides academic supports and mentoring to underrepresented students STEM fields.

As University Affairs Officer, Kankam is responsible for directing the NASA Space and Aeronautics Academies at Glenn and for research collaborations with universities.

The bulk of the opportunities at NASA are in STEM fields, he said.

Through its programs at nine centers in the United States and its Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA offers multiple opportunities to students, Kankam said.

“You can apply to as many as 15 projects, or what we call opportunities,” he said.

“Conceivably, you can get three or four offers, depending on the needs of the different centers…then you are in the driver’s seat as to which one you want to respond to.”

He advised students interested in programs to go https://intern.nasa.gov to start the process. (Summer internship application deadline is March 1, but other opportunities are available with different deadlines).

“NASA spends a lot of money on education to replenish the workforce. It is taxpayer money spent wisely to develop people,” he said.

He encouraged UWM students in STEM fields to stick with their programs and graduate.

Whatever a student area of scientific interest and expertise, there is likely to be a NASA opportunity that fits, he said.

“We have some unique programs that allow work on hands-on projects. You just have to know where to go to look for the information.

Articulate on your resume the skills that match the opportunity you’re looking for.

We are looking for the next generation of scientists and engineers to replenish the STEM workforce.”

Keaunis Grant, a UWM biomedical sciences major, said he found the presentation very helpful. “Providing actual links/websites helped me to remember how to get the information for review later.

The explanation of the various programs available helped me to have a better understanding of the programs.”

While is current academic plans are set, he added “I am very interested in applying for one of the scholarships or internships.

I think they are great opportunities to learn and apply what we are learning at the university.”

An electrical engineer who has served NASA as a senior research engineer and acting chief of the Electromechanical Systems Branch, Kankam said he was attracted to his career because he was educated at schools with strong programs and teachers in the sciences and mathematics.

“Education has always been very, very strong in my family,” he said. Born and raised in Ghana, he is the ninth of 11 children and was inspired by his teachers, parents and the example of his siblings. “They were role models.”

WiscAMP group of science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors who attended Kankam’s talk

WiscAMP group of science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors who attended Kankam’s talk

Advertorial

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: David Kankam, NASA, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WiscAMP

Read More - Related Articles

  • County Executive David Crowley Earns Bachelor’s Degree, Delivers Commencement Address at UW-Milwaukee
  • Ernesto Chacon to Be Honored for Role in Fighting for Civil Rights for Milwaukee’s Latino
  • Peace Corps Announces New Peace Corps Prep Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • UWM Announces Retirement Of Vice Chancellor Joan Prince
  • We Want You To Make History – University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On X
Follow Us On X

Editorials

Lakeshia Myers
Michelle Bryant
Dr. Kweku Akyirefi Amoasi formerly known as Dr. Ramel Smith

Journalists

Karen Stokes

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

David Crowley
Cavalier Johnson
Marcelia Nicholson
Governor Tony Evers
President Joe Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris
Former President Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2025 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.