Capitol Technology University is on the map for Brazilian students seeking to study abroad. As part of a program sponsored by the Brazilian government, 19 students attended an eight-week workshop at Capitol that combined coursework in CubeSat engineering and operations, in addition to laboratory activities and presentations by NASA engineers and scientists.
The workshop was designed to deliver an “off-site NASA experience,” replicating many aspects of systems engineering at the space facility, but in a campus setting.
“Every year Brazil provides funding for some of their best and brightest to study abroad at one or more schools,” explained Dr. Alex “Sandy” Antunes, who led the program in collaboration with another Capitol professor, Pat Stakem. “We organized a program for them that is highly NASA-infused, making the most of our strong connections with the space agency and our proximity to the Goddard Space Flight Center.”
The program, Antunes said, included accelerated versions of courses in CubeSat Engineering and Embedded Systems, which normally run for sixteen weeks. Lectures were supplemented by extensive laboratory activities designed to ensure that the students came away with the same level of training as in a regular, 16-week course.
Helping to assist in that endeavor were teaching assistants Christel Gesterling and Patrick Suddeth.
“The role of the course TAs really was essential to making this innovative program work,” Antunes said. “They ensured the Brazilian students had support from the time their classes ended – at 11:30 – until their daily lab work was completed at 3.”
The program wrapped up with a concluding ceremony on July 10, with each student receiving a certificate and a personal greeting from Capitol’s president, Dr. Michael T. Wood.
Among the participants was Thiago Lima, who said the program taught the importance of collaboration in addition to conveying practical knowledge.
“It was a good opportunity to network with NASA engineers and scientists, and to develop teamwork,” he said. “We learned how to execute a mission based on the process used at big organizations such as NASA as well as at private companies. “
For Julia Pereira, the workshop was an introduction to an exciting new field of study.
“I have never studied astronautical engineering so I learned a lot here,” said Julia, who studies mechanical engineering back home. “The experience was awesome.”
Pictured (from left): students Ana Reboucas, Julia Pereira, Thiago Lima and Nadson Renan Tome de Sousa pose with their certificates after completing the eight-week summer workshop at Capitol.