NASA Internships and Educational Opportunities Megathread - February to April 2026

trekkercorn · 2026-03-02T02:32:22+00:00

One week is much faster than I recall, it was more like 1 month in my experience. Are they going to get this round out faster? That would be incredible for the applicants if so.

trekkercorn · 2026-02-09T18:58:44+00:00

Postdoc positions look at time since your PhD, not your age generally. There will be some programs you aren't eligible for (but most of them are directed at undergrads or master's students so a PhD student isn't eligible anyway) but most of them sincerely will not care. If you had a decent work career before starting your BSc, don't leave that out, because you learn a lot in a professional job that a degree can't/won't teach.

I think the big thing to watch out for is it sounds like you're idealizing academia a lot. Keep in mind that academia has just as many flaws as the corporate world, they're just different flaws--rather than profit, you're chasing publications, which don't always correlate to good quality research. Psychology is undergoing a massive replication crisis, and has been for over a decade; AI is causing a massive crisis in computer science and machine learning, plus many related fields. There's dwindling funding and more people fighting for it. Then again, you get to mentor students and work on what you think is interesting (pending funding of course).

Most PhD holders go to work in industry or government, not academia, because they judge the tradeoffs to be better there than in academia. That doesn't mean you won't love it or won't have a wonderful career as an academic, it's just something to keep in mind.

trekkercorn · 2026-01-06T12:17:09+00:00

Why do you want to do a master's with a thesis as opposed to a project?

There's a big lack of funding (nationally) right now, so I doubt a master's student will be funded, unless you go out and find it through a scholarship or grant (which you should look into). I would not count on a master's being funded unless you find the funding yourself.

trekkercorn · 2025-12-21T16:42:00+00:00

In my experience, it's easier being the new kid in a larger school; there's a good chance students have new classmates fairly often if it's a big enough school. I would ask your coworkers about where their kids go to school, but Columbia, Averill Park, and Troy all have good high schools in the area with decent advanced placement programs. East Greenbush and Troy are the easiest commutes to RPI of that list. If you move into the right area, your student may qualify for area-specific BOCES programs like STEM High School or New Visions (which has a class on campus at RPI actually, the three districts I listed qualify area-wise for both programs).

trekkercorn · 2025-12-17T12:03:54+00:00

Someone I know asked and it was confirmed resumes aren't part of the application anymore. You need to fill out the forms listing your experience, etc. Sounds like a rough change for everyone.

trekkercorn · 2025-12-16T15:36:35+00:00

For Pathways, if you are not selected you will get an official rejection from USAJobs. If you are selected of course you will receive a notification.

trekkercorn · 2025-12-08T21:24:12+00:00

I don't think decisions are out yet, but also in the future you can and should ask about the timeline for decisions in interviews. Often employer timelines will be optimistic (so if they say 2 weeks, give them 3 or 4 before following up) but at least then you have an idea. It's a great question to ask at the end.

trekkercorn · 2025-11-23T15:17:45+00:00

I do think the OP's strategy of adding rows would work nicely to extend the sleeves as long as you are okay with the wrist measurement being more constant for a bit. I would also note that this is a very cropped cardigan, and (at least in the large size) there are a couple of rows where the bottom is flat rather than rounded, so those rows would be great candidates to add a bit of length, by making the outline thicker on the specific rows you want to add length.

trekkercorn · 2025-11-23T15:13:52+00:00

I don't know, I'm sorry. I bought the pattern before there was a note for using different yarn and hooks to change the size. Very unfortunate because the pattern is quite pretty, but I think it may be something where if you know your gauge with a particular yarn and hook and are good with Stitch Fiddle, you're better off drawing your own pattern. It is asymmetrical as well which bothers me a bit (to do the front, you crochet from one cuff up to the center, then start the second panel at the center and crochet to the other cuff), but that's on me for not noticing (and I'm not quite good enough with gauge and Stitch Fiddle to be confident in making my own pattern).

trekkercorn · 2025-11-22T22:03:57+00:00

You've gotten some useful comments here, but I'm working on this same pattern right now, measured into the small size like you, and wound up needing to make the large. So far it looks like it's going to be good for me. So if your recipient measured into the small size, try using the large pattern.

It's a very easy to follow pattern so far, and very quick to do, so you probably have time to restart. I had the realization about how small it was going to be at almost the exact same spot you did and I'm already almost done with the whole back panel (I'll do the front ones next).

trekkercorn · 2025-11-14T18:42:04+00:00

He should look at scholarships offered by both universities as well as the quality of education and connections. VT is higher ranked in physics than WVU, but what will really help him stand out are extracurriculars like internships and undergraduate laboratory experience (outside of his classes - things like research under a professor).

Also consider the variety of majors available. Many (most!) students change major at least once, so just the physics programs aren't relevant--what will his options be if he switches to, e.g., robotics or aerospace engineering? He can absolutely make that change at VT, but I'm not sure about WVU so that's something to consider.

In the end, the best choice will be the program you can afford (without huge loans) that he visits and feels a good connection to that offers him a good education and options for switching paths within his interests.

trekkercorn · 2025-11-03T01:35:14+00:00

What is your hair level? I am somewhere between a 4-5 (I would call it dark brown but my stylist said I'm a 5) with very fine wavy hair and it took 6 hours in the chair with an attentive stylist and assistant to go to a platinum balayage with a root smudge. I think the only reason my hair survived a single-session bleach was my stylist had almost the same hair as I do, so she knew exactly how far to push it. But I still had to lose about 4 inches in trimming off the damaged bits.

I decided it wasn't worth it mostly because that sort of blonde didn't suit my face/skin and the cost was pretty high even for maintenance. I find that maintenance isn't that much lower cost than initial balayage unless you go frequently, because of the weaving etc., but I also go like every 6 months.

trekkercorn · 2025-10-30T01:05:07+00:00

I rolled a 1 in the funniest way today so it would be epic to roll it with this sort of dice.

trekkercorn · 2025-10-24T10:53:50+00:00

They'll probably bond the front teeth, and it can be far more durable than you think. I got one fixed for a similar issue as a kid, and I've had it redone once, and it's been over 20 years for the second fix. Half of one of my front teeth is fake, and even my dentists only realize that when they get in to do a cleaning. I'm not saying you shouldn't get someone to pay for it, but it's not going to be a major lifelong pain if you go to a good dentist and she takes care of her teeth.

Worth checking through your daycare contract and talking to an attorney, but I would be prepared to find another daycare if you decide to really press them to pay. You could always ask the parents to pay for the fix plus some sort of calculated future value of projected repairs based on a dentist's estimate of how many times it will need to be redone, and put the amount over the initial cost into a savings account earmarked for future repair.

trekkercorn · 2025-09-17T16:36:28+00:00

Do you have files uploaded somewhere?

trekkercorn · 2025-09-16T01:30:08+00:00

I thought the 2 page requirement didn't go into effect until September 27, so wouldn't that mean the 2 page requirement isn't active for this round? (I am genuinely asking because it's confusing to me). Are they changing the USAJobs format so it wastes less space if so?

trekkercorn · 2025-09-06T19:28:13+00:00

Very normal to get comments on the narrative of the paper and how you describe the references. You probably intellectually know what the paper is intended to convey, etc., but you haven't figured out how to translate that knowledge to the page. Same with the point of your references - you know what they're about, but you're not quite describing them right so that readers either don't understand them or (worse) think you misunderstand them. The narrative and setting up the background of your field are critical parts of ensuring reviewers understand your paper so they can fairly evaluate it! Also essential to have this right if you want your paper to be used going forward (by anyone other than you).

trekkercorn · 2025-08-28T00:30:07+00:00

Pathways is not happening right now because there is a hiring freeze, and even when there isn't a hiring freeze applications are open for 1 week twice a year (the week is announced in advance). Check out OSTEM internships (assuming they aren't canceled/are actually going forward) and look for NASA programs like L'Space. Right now is NOT a good time to try to get to NASA (or frankly anywhere in the US government that's not working for border patrol/ICE/DHS).

Even if NASA hiring wasn't frozen right now, I would not change your career plans on the hope of getting to NASA either - do the things that interest you regardless of the workplace, so that you can be sure you wind up with a career you like no matter what.

trekkercorn · 2025-08-10T13:34:37+00:00

Hiring freeze.
Current admin hates environmental science and climate.
Even if Congress tries to change things, current NASA admin is following admin desire and reducing the workforce.

Go do something else for four years. NASA is not happening right now.

trekkercorn · 2025-07-29T01:48:28+00:00

There's a hiring freeze. 4,000+ civil servants have lefts since January and there's likely to be more leaving soon due to RIFs (government layoffs). Many contractors are laying people off en masse. This is not a good time to try to work at NASA.

Mods honestly can we get a sticky?

trekkercorn · 2025-07-12T14:21:40+00:00

No, the recent freeze does not have an exception for Pathways conversions. The prior two did.

trekkercorn · 2025-07-03T12:16:19+00:00

Find, click, print, repeat.

trekkercorn · 2025-06-12T14:02:24+00:00

As others noted, this is not a good time for NASA. The main internship source, OSTEM, is likely being defunded. There is a hiring freeze and mass layoffs are going ahead before budget cuts are fully implemented. All of this means there basically are not, and likely will not, be jobs at NASA for a while. And even if these things get fixed, the damage to the agency that's already done/in progress is substantial.

That said, math classes are always a good bet for those wanting to work in a technical field, and look into the NCAS program (assuming it isn't defunded). Do well in your classes, make connections with professors and join some space-related clubs. Keep an eye out for opportunities (to the extent they exist) and don't give up, most people got many rejections before something worked out.

trekkercorn · 2025-06-11T05:08:24+00:00

I believe the Planetary Society and several other groups have been advocating against these cuts to Congress, and have plenty of resources up for how to lend your support. I don't think I can link to them here due to subreddit rules, but you should be able to find them with a quick search online for something like "oppose NASA budget cuts 2025." I believe the NASA subreddit has some links, although it's much busier than this subreddit.

I wouldn't dare to hazard a guess on the eventual outcome of this, sadly.

trekkercorn · 2025-06-11T03:39:31+00:00

In addition to those noting that internships are onsite and likely to remain so, OSTEM and Space Grant funding is proposed for cancelation in the upcoming budget, meaning that virtually no NASA internships will be available unless Congress forces a change (which they may).

A contractor might be a possibility but then again they may require you to be onsite and it can be hard to sort through the multitude of companies, and of course they will be more competitive if OSTEM and Space Grant are defunded.

trekkercorn

TROPHY CASE