The SCaN Internship Project (SIP) is a paid internship hosted by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. SIP is open to high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing a career in space communications and navigation, or have an interest in these areas. SIP is sponsored by the SCaN Policy and Strategic Communications Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. SIP takes place during the summer, for 10 weeks, with potential continuation during the school year.

The internship allows students to perform hands-on training with real mission scenarios, gain exposure and analyze powerful space communication systems, utilize networks software tools and effectively communicate their findings in a final presentation to NASA management. Each student is paired with an experienced and multidisciplinary mentor who counsels the student with his/her work, and also engages with career planning.

Students are introduced to space communications and navigation knowledge and practices through their participation in the program. Each year, as the students’ knowledge matures, their corresponding NASA activities and training increase in complexity.