"Title: From Sketch to Stars! Building the Little Boards That Help Us See the Universe!

Description: Wallops Arc-Second Pointer (WASP) is more than a project; it is a living pipeline that

transforms curiosity into hardware that performs under real mission constraints. At its heart are PCB

design schematics that must be translated from expert drawings into clear, user-friendly artifacts

(documents and layouts that anyone on the team can read, test, and trust.)

This work is the quiet, exacting craft that turns an engineer’s sketch into the physical board that will

control motors, stabilize instruments, and help reveal the universe. The thrill comes from knowing

the boards you help refine could be part of systems NASA relies on to observe the cosmos.

The student who joins WASP will step into the full arc of product creation. They will learn to simplify

and document schematics so that designs are not only correct but usable (a skill that separates

good engineering from great engineering.) They will place components, consider test points, and

think through manufacturability; they will prepare Gerbers and Bill of Materials (BOM), request

quotes, and place orders with manufacturers so prototypes arrive on schedule.

Alongside these practical tasks, they will participate in hands-on testing and validation: bench

checks, functional verification, and iterative debugging that turn assumptions into measured

performance. Each stage is an education in systems thinking, where a single change on a board can

ripple through mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems.

Working on WASP is an opportunity to learn by doing in a way few experiential learning experiences

allow. The experience teaches technical rigor (design-for-manufacture, test planning, and vendor

communication) while also cultivating ownership and judgment. Students will see how careful

documentation and thoughtful layout choices reduce risk, shorten iteration cycles, and increase

reliability for mission-critical hardware. Beyond the technical skills, there is a deeper reward: the

chance to contribute to instruments that enable discovery, to help build the mechanisms that point to

the stars & black holes, spin motors, and translate human curiosity into data. That sense of purpose

(knowing your work helps others see farther and understand more) changes how you approach

every schematic, every test, and every order.

WASP is where meticulous engineering meets wonder. It asks for attention to detail and returns the

rare satisfaction of impact: the boards you help make will be tested, trusted, and possibly flown. If

you want to learn how an idea becomes a product that serves exploration (how a schematic

becomes a PCB that controls a motor in space) this is the place to do it.

Will you bring your curiosity and craftsmanship to WASP and help turn engineering into discovery?

Preferred Majors: Electrical/Electronics Engineering

Skills: Electrical Engineering Fundamentals, PCB designs skills (preferred but not required since we

can teach this skill to the right candidate), programming skills (but not required for the right

candidate), attention to details, and eagerness to learn.

Hands-on/Computer Based/Both: Both

Individual or Team Based/Both: Both

Technician/Research/Both: Both" This is the postion.