When James Holloway, an engineering teacher at Frenship High School, received information about the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program he immediately passed the application along to his students. Danielle Duff, a Frenship High School junior, was interested and immediately applied for the program. 

The HAS program is a unique educational opportunity offered by NASA that aims to engage and inspire high school students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program has several key purposes and objectives: 

• STEM Engagement 
• Educational Enrichment 
• Real-world Application 
• NASA Connections  
• Project-based Learning 
• College Readiness  
• Leadership Development   
• Inspiration and Diversity 

In summary, the HAS program seeks to inspire, engage, and educate high school students in STEM fields, with a focus on aerospace and space exploration. Through a combination of educational content, hands-on projects, and interaction with NASA professionals, the program aims to prepare students for future STEM endeavors and careers. 

After a rigorous application process, Duff was accepted to the NASA program in late October. Duff is one of 500 students across the state who have been accepted into this distinguished program. “Danielle is always up for a new challenge, and it didn't surprise me when NASA accepted her into the program,” said Holloway. 

Duff is learning how a NASA engineer goes about designing and producing missions and satellites. Her current project focuses on research about the Hubble space telescope and living environments in space on other planets. 

“I just finished working on redesigning the James Webb Space Telescope,” said Duff. “I added an extra mirror dish on the underside so that the telescope can study Earth's atmosphere and Exoplanet's atmospheres at the same time to combine the data into a database that compares the exoplanets to Earth.”  

Duff is using the Autodesk CAD software that Frenship engineering students use and learn in class to conduct and design her project for NASA. She has tied two major telescopes in space together with an AI device connecting the two to process and analyze the data collected by each telescope. 

“What we are learning in class is tying into real-world use and implementation,” said Holloway. “To see Danielle’s thought process come to life is amazing and to see that she is using what we learn in class to apply her thought process is pretty cool.” 

Duff is still in the first section of the HAS program where she works online through the different key parts of planning a mission for NASA. “I'm getting to learn what an engineer at NASA may work on as well as improving my overall skills as an engineer,” said Duff.  

In the second session of the program titled Moonshot, the students will be grouped in teams to complete a mission. The team of students will work together to design an Artemis mission from the moon to Mars in two weeks. The top two to three teams from each moonshot week then move on to a four-day residency program at NASA, where they get a tour of every aspect of NASA from the actual rockets to astronaut training areas and mission headquarters. 

After graduation, Duff wants to pursue a career as an aerospace engineer with an electrical engineering dual major. Duff is a very motivated individual and is striving to learn everything she can before she starts her road to college and then into a career.  

“I am getting used to the workload and type of work that may come up as an engineer at NASA working on missions in the future,” said Duff. “The program has shown me how engineering is a career that is continuously growing and expanding as a very viable career.” 

Holloway stated that Duff would be an exceptional addition to any college or program. She is not only incredibly bright but a mentor to her fellow students.  

“The world is starving for females to enter the engineering world, Danielle is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to learning, motivation, and creativity,” said Holloway. “Danny will make us all proud.”