Edmonds teen eager to use science camp skills

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, August 2, 2011

EDMONDS — As a child, Alexander Springer wanted to become an astronaut.

Now, the Edmonds-Woodway High School senior, 17, wants to find the solution to protecting astronauts from muscular atrophy while they’re in space.

Spending a week working alongside engineers and scientists at the

Museum of Flight in Seattle this summer helped the Edmonds teen zoom in on this possible career path.

Springer was one of 160 students statewide to qualify for a summer program through the Washington Aerospace Scholars program. His academic performance during the program’s online phase helped Springer stand out in a pool of 290 applicants.

Now, Springer said he looks forward to applying what he learned to his senior physics class.

“I have a jump start on other students,” Springer said.

Springer plans to study biomedical engineering in college and focus on muscular atrophy.

“In space, astronauts become weaker because they’re not fighting gravity,” he said. “I want to figure out ways to solve that problem.”

The Washington Aerospace Scholars program promotes careers in science, technology, engineering and math. To qualify for the competitive program, students must be high school juniors and have at least a 3.0 GPA.

The program is split into two phases. Students first follow a six-month online curriculum designed by NASA, completing 10 lessons and a final project. Based on their scores, up to 160 teens advance to the weeklong summer residency.

The program is free thanks to funding from the Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation.

This year’s summer program was held June 26 to July 1. Students planned a human trip to Mars with guidance from engineers, scientists and university professors.

Students learned about managing a mission, budgeting, learning the legal aspect of space exploration and medicine.

Collaborating with three other teams was a challenge as each group had specific goals, Springer said. “There was a lot of compromising going on to decide what we’d carry in the module and where we’d land,” he said.

Since the Washington Aerospace Scholars program started in 2006, students from 260 schools have participated. More than 77 percent of students who have completed the program are pursuing a college degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Springer matter-of-factly says he plans to attend either the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Johns Hopkins University. His backup school is the University of Washington.

“I’ve been building my resume to get in with community service and lab work,” he said. “I’m excited to put this on my resume.”

A student in the International Baccalaureate program, Springer spent 150 hours on a Creative Action Service project where he modified a bicycle so people could ride in water. He has participated in extracurricular sports and started a mountain biking team for his peers.

He read an ad about the aerospace program in a daily newspaper.

“It piqued my interest,” he said. “I’ve had a childhood fantasy of becoming an astronaut.”

The overall competitive nature of the program made Springer value the experience that much more.

“I took it very seriously,” he said.

How to apply

Applications for the Washington Aerospace Scholars 2011-12 program are due Nov. 4.

Mail applications to The Museum of Flight, Attention: WAS Director, 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108-4097.

Download an application at www.museumofflight.org/was.