Local lad leaps toward outer space
Courtesy IDAHO SCIENCE AND AEROSPACE SCHOLARS Hayden resident Samuel Johns was one of 88 Idaho high school students to visit NASA facilities at Ames, Calif., this month.
Samuel Johns, pictured at center, is a rising Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy senior who has dreamed of designing rocket ships since he was a kid. (Courtesy IDAHO SCIENCE AND AEROSPACE SCHOLARS)
Courtesy IDAHO SCIENCE AND AEROSPACE SCHOLARS NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence played darts with Samuel Johns and other Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars at Ames, Calif., earlier this month.
HAYDEN — Samuel Johns has had an out-of-this-world experience this year as an Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholar. The Hayden resident and rising Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy senior always had a love of all things aeronautical, he said. When he learned about the ISAS program from his high school counselor, his childhood dreams suddenly got very real.
The ISAS program costs nothing to students, said program coordinator Peter Kavouras. All high school juniors can apply if they have a minimum 2.7 GPA, are at least 16 years old, hold U.S. citizenship and Idaho residency, have parental permission and internet access, and will commit to completing the entire program, Kavouras said.
ISAS scholars begin a 16-week online class in January of their junior year. The class uses NASA curriculum infused with science, technology, and aerospace happenings from Idaho, said Kavouras. The online class had Sam learn about the trajectories of rocket ships, cryptology used to keep Mars rovers safe from hackers, and the math astronauts need to perform to complete missions.
“I can do a little rocket science,” Sam said happily.
Brenda Johns watched her son juggle the ISAS online class with his normal high school responsibilities. She said “it was a huge blessing for our family to be able to have that opportunity. What seemed unattainable all of a sudden became possible.”
After the online class wraps up, ISAS scholars attend a one-day capstone experience in their region of the state. This spring, North Idaho students went to the University of Idaho’s College of Engineering. The capstone experience gives students a chance to get face-to-face time with one another, and hands-on time performing STEM tasks with professionals in those fields. Sam’s capstone had him work with other students on an engineering project.
Following the capstone events, the top 88 students were invited to a summer academy split between Boise State University and the NASA campus in Ames, Calif. Sam explained that he did everything possible to earn his way into the summer academy, which took place July 8-13. Brenda said he did so much extra credit, he finished the course with a 126 percent grade.
“For many students, they’ll say it was really life-changing,” said Kavouras.
It opens their eyes to real possibilities in STEM fields. Students at the recent academy met paid NASA interns who attended the University of Idaho, Boise State, and the College of Idaho. In so doing, those students realized they don’t have to go to MIT or Stanford to pursue a career in aerospace and outer space, Kavouras explained.
Sam’s experience confirmed this observation. The two highlights of his summer academy were getting to meet NASA Ames Senior Advisor to the Center Director Jack Boyd, a 93-year-old NASA employee who regaled students with his firsthand experiences, and the opportunity to design a mission to Mars complete with rocket ship, rovers, data collection, and human survivability requirements.
Sam also went to Huntsville, Ala., this summer to take part in Space Camp there. Compared to the ISAS program, Sam said, the ISAS students were far more grateful and hard-working than those at Space Camp.
“With ISAS you had to earn it and work really hard to get there. Some kids who were so excited they made it said it was life-changing for them. I bonded so much more with the ISAS kids than Space Camp kids,” he said.
Along with Texas, Washington, and Virginia, Idaho is one of only four states with a program like ISAS, said Kavouras. The state department of education pays the cost of the program, which began with a NASA grant in the 2009-10 school year. The three college credits Sam earned through the online course and summer academy were a nice perk, Brenda said.
Sam said he intends to spend a gap year at Bible college in Germany, then will go to college en route to a career in aerospace engineering. The ISAS program solidified his childhood dreams and turned the theoretical into the tangible.
“It’s fun to see a kid get to do their passion,” said Brenda.
The ISAS application is available on the program’s website in September and is due in November. To learn more about the Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars program, go to: www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/isas or visit: facebook.com/ISASacademy