Meet Lee, Student Blogger and NASA Student Intern, Kennedy Space Center

Jun 28, 2012 | Blog, Inside the College Fund, Student Success

phtoo of Lee Robinson
phtoo of Lee Robinson

Lee Robinson

My name is Lee. I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and I’m an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. I’m a full student at Leech Lake Tribal College and will be entering my second year of college in the fall. I will be transferring to the University of Kansas to complete a degree in biochemistry.

I’m currently at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Florida. I’m an intern in the Center for Life Cycle Design. When you think of NASA, you think of rocket launches and space. But there are items in our everyday life that were developed because NASA was researching them. One item that came from the space program is your cell phone, which was created so that ground control could commute with our astronauts in their trips to space.

You might think NASA’s glory days are behind them with the end of the space shuttle program, but they are handing low-earth orbit missions for commercial companies like SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems, and Boeing.

NASA did this so they could invest more of their resources to go back the moon or explore asteroids after the creation of the commercial crew program, when SpaceX launched the Dragon spacecraft and became the first private company to deliver supplies to the international space station. It was also written in NASA’s charter to always try to explore more of space, and staying with the shuttle program for 15 more years was not the best use of the their resources.

My first week at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), I participated in a new employee orientation. We also received a special tour of KSC that included the vehicle assembly building were they assembled every rocket that launched a manned mission into space beginning with Project Mercury and ending with the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

 

Recent Blog Posts

American Indian College Fund Publishes Eighth Volume of The Tribal College and University Research Journal:

American Indian College Fund Publishes Eighth Volume of The Tribal College and University Research Journal:

The American Indian College Fund, with generous funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, published volume 8 of the Tribal College and University Research Journal. This one-of-a-kind publication was first launched in 2016 and supports tribal college and university (TCU) faculty in disseminating their academic work to Indigenous communities and the wider research community.

Defy the Storm: American Indian College Fund’s New PSA Addresses Challenges Indigenous Students and Communities Face with Funding Cuts

Defy the Storm: American Indian College Fund’s New PSA Addresses Challenges Indigenous Students and Communities Face with Funding Cuts

A “storm” of activity is coming from Washington in the form of funding cuts and executive orders, upending the lives of Native American communities and students; jeopardizing access to the funding, education and opportunity that helped create progress for decades to ensure the success of tribal nations, communities, and people.

If You Want to Protect Children, You Cannot Defend Mascots

If You Want to Protect Children, You Cannot Defend Mascots

Numerous studies, including ones conducted by the federal government, illustrate the harm of racist mascots, especially on youth. Team names and logos should be chosen to instill pride without dehumanizing people, ensuring the safety and prosperity of our children and the future of our communities.