NASA SEES Program Essays

1. Why would you like to be selected for the SEES program?

 Ever since I could remember I have always dreamt of being an engineer and making a
difference in the world. My mind has always imagined things as ideas yet to be created
which is what drives me to design, create and explore new inventions. From the
cardboard Robot I made when I was 5, to the functional Spiderman web shooter I built
when I was 11, I have always been an inventor. The SEES program embodies the person I
want to be, the things I strive to do, and the engineer I am. SEES captures my greatest
passions and pursuits of research, design, STEM, and my flare for creation. I know and
believe I can bring my strong background in engineering and extensive knowledge in
other sciences as benefit to this program. I am certain I can exceed every expectation
set before me and strive to passionately complete any given task. Being selected for
SEES will allow me to apply myself meaningfully, build upon my current skills, and help
shape me as an engineer ready to take up the future. This program will allow me to be
one step closer to the goals I have set for myself. It would be a great honor to be
selected for SEES as it would afford me the opportunity to channel my passions and
aspirations into projects that will help advance the world.
2. Important academic or life experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).
 As an advocate for STEM in my community, I help encourage, teach and mentor
elementary and middle school Children on STEM, its importance and the ability for us to
Improve the world through it. I currently attend Stanton College Prep High school and
take several Honors STEM courses and electives. I personally choose these courses to
challenge myself and gain an in-depth knowledge of the STEM curriculum. The things I
learn in school are implemented in what I do outside of school. For example, I
remember when I first learned Trigonometry in school, I went home and designed a
model in a CAD software called Fusion 360 that utilized the Pythagorean theorem, and
the trigonometric functions to create an accurate model. My application of STEM
doesn’t end when I leave school. As a member of Team Resistance Robotics Club of
Jacksonville, I am constantly practicing and advancing my STEM skills. Taking STEM
electives like Foundations of programming I learned to utilize my creativity and apply it
to technology while gaining experience of a STEM work environment. STEM has played a
major Role in my life by allowing me to not just understand it but be able to apply its
content in everything I do. As a coach of two First LEGO League Teams, and one first
LEGO League Junior team I am inspired to teach STEM and truly recognize its
importance. In conclusion, I am proud to have accumulated 129 volunteer hours of
STEM Outreach just this year alone.
3. Extracurricular activities that have influenced you in a positive way (include skills you deem
valuable for an academic team research setting)
 I am also part of several clubs and sports that provide me with skills necessary to be
successful in a team research setting. In middle school, I was part of the track Team and
won Student Athlete in 8th grade. I am also Part of my Long Distance /Cross country
Team in High School. Being part of a track team, I developed great interpersonal skills
amongst other skills like conflict resolution, rapport building and reliability and most
importantly understanding the concept of “we” not “I” in achieving success as a team.
Being part of the track team enhanced my Leadership skills. An Important skill I learned
during this time is communication. It is important to understand that every team
member’s opinion matters. I am also a member of JFC Soccer team where I played
defender and mid-fielder for the last 6 years. As a member of the soccer team, the most
important skill I learnt was learning to depend on my teammates and ensuring we had a
strategy for success prior to kicking off each game. No matter how good one person
was, we could not win without working together. Working as a team is vital to
completing research, It will take everyone’s piece to complete the puzzle. While
stressing the importance of team spirit, I must also admit that I am also able to work
independently. Teamwork, Independent contribution, and Leadership are 3 very
important skills I have learned through extracurricular activities that are needed to
prevail in life.
4. Your current academic path and career plans
 I am Currently in the International Baccalaureate program as a sophomore at Stanton
College Prep Highschool a Nationally recognized Blue-Ribbon school. I am taking several
STEM honors courses and electives. I take Pre-Calculus an honors level math class. Most
sophomores take Algebra 2, but I was able to be placed in a higher math in 6th grade due
to my skills. This year I have taken two sciences which include both Physics 1 Honors,
and Chemistry Honors. For an elective I take Foundations of programming which is a
course designed to teach QBASIC. I excel on all my final exams and receive very high
scores on them. I succeed in both STEM and non-STEM classes with a current GPA of
3.88 unweighted and a 4.7 weighted GPA. I hope to study and become a Mechanical
engineer in the future. I plan to continue to do my best to reach my desired goals of
becoming an engineer. For college, my goal is to attend the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and I’m strategically working on meeting the requirements for admissions.
In the future I would love to work for a company like NASA that encapsulates my dream
of making a difference in the world through technological advances. I eventually want to
start my own company sometime in the future that would focus on Technology that
innovates and advances our world, braking barriers and defying the odds to bring us
closer to things that are usually considered impossible.
5. How your experience in this program will impact your plans for the future?
 SEES would afford me an opportunity to gain as much knowledge and experience in
engineering, research, and design prior to pursuing a career in Mechanical Engineering.
Being in this program will allow me to improve upon my current skills. Where best to get
such a first-time exposure than a renowned organization like NASA. It will be a dream
come true for any aspiring engineer. This research Opportunity will definitely help boost
my enthusiasm and passion for engineering, Open my mind to other aspects of
Engineering and Science that I may not have been aware of for instance I would love to
learn more about space exploration, Knowing more about my planet and space. Another
important advantage is that It will be good to add this experience on my resume
particularly for college applications. I am certain the experience will be Life changing.
Attending SEES will allow me to focus on research and exploration which is something I
would like to learn more about. An engineer needs to have a strong foundation in
research in order to succeed. Overall, I am certain the SEES’s opportunity will allow me
to discover myself better and will offer me skills and experiences I have never had
before. SEES will provide me a once in a lifetime opportunity at this stage to get a head
start towards achieving my goals.

6. Share any prior STEM opportunities to which you were accepted.

 In my school and community, I have engaged in many STEM programs and
opportunities. For starters I was accepted into my high schools FRC Team named Team
Resistance 86. FRC is a worldwide robotics competition in which high school students
design, build, and program a metal robot. In FRC I am on the CAD team (computer aided
design). On the CAD team I utilize my 4 years of self-taught design skills to model and
create parts for the robot in a software called Fusion 360. My duties on the team
include designing parts, running the CNC machine to cut out the parts, and coming up
with robot designs/mechanism’s. Last year I became a volunteer FIRST LEGO League
coach for a place called Shiva Robotics which teaches kids to design, build, and program
LEGO robots. Currently I coach two FLL teams and one FLL JR. Team. I teach these kids
how to use the EV3 Mindstorms programming software, and how to build robots using
LEGO technic pieces. This year I partnered up with the Pablo Creek Regional Library to
create a club for kids to learn to use CAD software. My proposal for the club was
accepted and will commence in March 2020. The purpose of the program is to teach
kids to make 3D designs using a software called TinkerCAD. The club will spread the
influence of STEM and will teach kids basic skills needed to be an engineer. STEM
programs and outreach are a vital part of my life.
7. How did you hear about the SEES Internship Program?
 This year I made it my personal duty to find a way to expand upon my technical skills
and obtain new ones. I started by volunteering at stem related organizations but that
wasn’t enough for me. I wanted an internship where I could focus on engineering and all
the aspects of it. I needed something to take me to the next level in my journey of
becoming a mechanical engineer. I started by searching NASA’s website. Being one of
the leaders in space travel, research, and exploration I Knew I could find a program that
would suit my needs. Amazingly I discovered the SEES program. A program for high
schoolers to focus on STEM, research, and design of a project. I have always been very
curious about space exploration and technology and was hooked by the first time I saw
the program on NASA. I instantly researched as much as I could about it and watched
pretty much all the YouTube videos pertaining to SEES. I watched Alumni’s review the
program and reflect on its impact on them. I felt like the program was designed for me
and was interested without a second thought. I knew that if there was one way that I
was going to jumpstart my career into engineering, this would be it. I instantly created
an account and started my application ASAP.

8. The subjects that most interest me are.

 As an inventor/engineer my creativity stem from my love for the math’s and sciences.
Since I was in elementary school these were the classes that most interested me. I
remember first learning about algebra in 7th grade. It interested me so much the way
numbers could be manipulated. With science I could see how the world worked and the
complex processes of things we see every day. I remember engaging in Science labs at
school and begging for chemistry kits at home. I truly wanted to know how the nature
worked. I soon Discovered that If I had the Formulas, I could solve anything. It was like
magic. Math’s and Science is my type of magic. Taking classes like chemistry and physics
I could really understand how things worked. Calculating the projectile motion of an
object or finding the limiting reactant of a reaction was truly exciting for me. Everything
about math and science fascinated me and fueled my imagination. I also enjoy 3D
printing soon as I discovered the world of 3D at 10 years old. Ever since, I have
combined my love for math, science and 3D printing to create many cool projects. These
subjects helped me see the application of stem in our normal day life. Learning about
computers, learning math formulas, researching science, and 3d printing are all subjects
that interest me.
 NASA SEES Video transcript
intro

 Hi, my name is Aaed Musa I live in Jacksonville Florida, I’m 16 years old, and in the 10th
grade. I am applying for the 2020 NASA Stem enhancement in earth sciences internship.
Ever since I was a child, it’s been my dream to be an engineer. I have always been
intrigued with space exploration and the way the world works. I truly believe that this
program will help me to build upon my skills and get one step closer towards my dream
of becoming a mechanical engineer. Now let me share with you what my life looks like.

About me

 I attend Stanton College prep high school a National Blue-Ribbon School where I’m in
the IB program and take classes like physics and chemistry.
 I currently hold a 3.88 unweighted GPA and a 4.7 weighted GPA. and participate in many
school clubs and activities. Some that I have been in throughout the years include Math
honor society, sumo robotics, national junior honor society, speech and debate, and I
also acted as a tour guide for my middle school.
 For sports I ran track and cross country as a freshman and currently play varsity lacrosse.
 After school I volunteer for a place called Shiva robotics that teaches kids how to design,
build and program robots. I coach 2 First LEGO league teams having over 129 volunteer
hours this year alone.
 I’m also on my own FRC team called Team resistance 86. Each year We are tasked with
building and programming a robot for competitions. In team resistance I am on the CAD
team and I help design the robot in a software called fusion 360. Here you can see some
of our previous robots.
 When I’m not volunteering or building robots, I am usually in my garage building new
inventions. This is where all the magic happens. Here is my cr10 3D printer that I use to
make my creations come to life. I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I love to design and build
cosplay props like this Mandalorian helmet and light saber I modeled.
 Here are some of my other projects and builds like the medals I made for an outreach
event and my deployable gauntlet.
 Some of my bigger projects include my full body iron man suit that I built and this my
nerf rival assist a fully automated nerf gun I designed and built over summer. I used an
Arduino, dc motors, an ir receivers, and remote to build this. I designed all of it in fusion
360 and 3d printed it on my cr-10
 STEM is a huge part of my life whether its teaching kids how to build EV3 robots.
 Creating my own unique projects.
 3D printing
 designing
 or even building robots.
  I’m very passionate about stem, but take it from my mentors, teachers, and fellow
teammates to tell you a little bit about me.
 My cad teacher and mentor Patrick Breslend says “Aaed has been a star on the robot
design and manufacturing team. He quickly took the reins running our CNC mill with
little instruction. He started by developing CAM routines for common robot parts. Each
week I could see strong improvements because of his attention to details and
willingness to learn.”
 My fellow programmer Ajay sonnie says “Sometimes when walking by, I see a whole
array of complex designs on Aaed’s computer, and it truly fascinates me how he can do
all that. His sublime skills are also reflected in the computer class we have together,
called Foundations of Programming. Whenever I’m not able to debug a code, I ask Aaed
for assistance, and he resolves the issue within minutes. He’s the Houdini of
technology!”
 Kalai sankar founder of shiva robotics and national first influencer says “Aaed has
conducted Robotics Workshop for Girl Scouts students, as the lead instructor. Overall, I
admire his presence of mind and ever-ready attitude to step up as a leader wherever
extra help is needed. He has been a great asset to SHIVA, and I see a lot of potential in
him”
 As you can see, I’m well recognized in my community. My expertise and teamwork skills
make me a great candidate for the SEES internship.

Why should I be selected for SEES?

 I would love to be selected for this program because I hope that one day I can contribute to the
research and technological advances of our world. I know and believe I can bring my strong
background in engineering and extensive knowledge to benefit this program. SEES will allow me
to be one step closer to the goals I have set for myself. It would be my honor to be selected for
SEES and channel my passions into a meaningful project.
 Also consider checking out my website at www.aaedmusa.weebly.com to see my cad portfolio
and other projects. Thanks for watching and may the force be with you.