This position is in NASA's Pathways Intern Program which provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain developmental work experience. As part of the Instrument and Engineering Technology Research and Development Technical Area in the Engineering Systems Division, the Intern gains experience in fundamental and applied engineering research and development of microfluidic devices and lab-on-a-chip systems that support science and the search for life outside Earth.
Summary
This position is in NASA's Pathways Intern Program which provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain developmental work experience. As part of the Instrument and Engineering Technology Research and Development Technical Area in the Engineering Systems Division, the Intern gains experience in fundamental and applied engineering research and development of microfluidic devices and lab-on-a-chip systems that support science and the search for life outside Earth.
The Intern will support experienced engineers and scientists and will engage in experiences based on current education level. Duties may include, but not be limited to:
Design, develop, or modify advanced methods for innovative and creative custom microfluidic systems and application to micro-satellite payloads and missions.
Prepare samples for analysis by a range of analytical measurements including microscopy, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical and optical analysis.
Interpret test methods, statistical experiments, and performance and validation studies to analyze and evaluate the biological compatibility and function of the designed fluidic systems and components. Document and report study results.
Participate in the specifications, acceptance testing and evaluation of components of new technology, equipment or systems.
Assist in R&D of fluidic device design concepts, challenges, and technical opportunities. Participates in cross-functional project groups to develop design concepts, prototype, and develop test plans to characterize device performance.
Enrolled/accepted in an accredited educational institution with expected completion date of degree requirements no earlier than one academic year from closing date of announcement (Fall 2019).
Pursuing a degree
Maintain enrollment at least half time as defined by the institution
Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.9 on a 4.0 scale
Qualifications
Starting GS grade levels are determined by education level. You must complete the NASA Supplemental Questionnaire to assist in determining your education level completed. Your education level will be rated against the NASA developed qualification standards listed below, and you will only be considered at the highest grade level for which you qualify.
Minimum Qualification for GS-07: Accepted into a master's program OR in the first year of a master's program.
Minimum Qualification for GS-09: Completed one academic year of a master's program OR accepted into a doctorate program OR in the first year of a doctorate program.
Minimum Qualification for GS-11: Completed one year of doctorate-level study.
Education
You must have an expected degree completion date no earlier than one (1) academic year from the closing date of this announcement to be eligible for this position. In the NASA Supplemental Questionnaire you will be asked, 'What is the expected completion date for the degree you are currently pursuing or plan to pursue?' The date you enter will be used to determine your eligibility, and applicants who indicate a date prior to December 1, 2019 will be found ineligible.
Applicants pursuing one of the following preferred majors are considered 'Best Qualified': Bioengineering or Biological Engineering; Aerospace Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science or Engineering; Biomedical or Biomechanical Engineering; Electrical Engineering
To be qualified for this position, you must be pursuing a graduate degree with a major in engineering, physical science, mathematics, life sciences, computer science, or other field of science at an accredited educational institution. Degrees in engineering technology are not qualifying. Some degrees may require specific coursework to qualify for conversion after completing degree requirements.
Engineering degrees must be from an institution with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Visit this website to verify. All other degrees must be from an institution accredited by a recognized accrediting organization. Access this website to verify.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Engineering Degrees: Your college or university must have a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with ABET. Visit this website to verify. Other Degrees: Must show your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization specialized in interpreting foreign education programs and have been deemed equivalent to education gained in an accredited U.S. education program. For more information visit this website. Indicate in your resume that you have had your education formally evaluated by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to do so may result in your being found not qualified for the position. If selected, a written evaluation translated in English of any foreign education must be completed and provided to the Human Resources official making the offer.
Additional information
The anticipated start date for this appointment is no later than May 13, 2019.
As identical vacancies are identified, additional selections may be made.
Salary is based off of 2018 locality pay.
Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or removal after hiring.
Interns may be promoted to higher grades based on the amount of education completed and acceptable performance. However, promotions are not guaranteed.
You will be expected to comply with Center Pathway policies located at: Ames Pathways Programs.
You will serve a trial period for the duration of the Intern appointment.
Interns may be considered for conversion to a term or permanent appointment within 120 days of completing degree requirements provided they:
Successfully completed an academic course of study with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.9 (on a 4.0 scale);
Complete a minimum of 640 hours of work experience before completing degree requirements;
Meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are converted; and
Maintain acceptable performance.
Eligibility for conversion does not guarantee that NASA will offer conversion. Conversion is subject to successful completion of the program, the supervisor's recommendation, availability of funds, and the availability of a term or permanent position. At NASA, term appointments last from one to six years. If an Intern is converted to a term appointment, they may later be converted to a permanent appointment without competing.
The Intern may be converted to a General Engineer (GS-0801) with promotion potential to the GS-13 level.
The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume and your answers to NASA-specific questions to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications. Your answers to the NASA-specific questions supplement your resume. Please be sure that your answers and your resume are accurate, as NASA is not authorized to alter them. If the information in your resume differs from your answers to the questions, we will use your answers to the questions to determine your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
If you meet the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications, you will be further evaluated based on the preferred majors listed under 'Education.' As a result, applicants will be placed in one of two categories (Qualified or Best Qualified) in accordance with NASA's Category Rating-Like Process.
The Category Rating-Like Process protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed at the top of the highest category, except when the position being filled is professional or scientific at the GS-09 grade level or higher. For a list of occupational series considered professional or scientific, click url=GS-PROF-OCCUPATIONS>here.
Veterans' preference applies in the hiring process. In order to receive preference in hiring, you must clearly identify your claim for veterans' preference when you apply. Veteran's preference will only be granted based on what is supported by the documentation you provide. For more information about Veterans' Preference, please visit this link.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer a short series of NASA-specific questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. Nothing further is required until requested by the human resources office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume and your answers to the NASA-specific questions. For example, we will ask you to provide academic transcripts. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we will ask you to submit proof of veterans' preference (DD214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus the proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the requested documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw the job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the 'Apply' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS? document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Resume Operations Center Mail stop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer a short series of NASA-specific questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. Nothing further is required until requested by the human resources office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume and your answers to the NASA-specific questions. For example, we will ask you to provide academic transcripts. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we will ask you to submit proof of veterans' preference (DD214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus the proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the requested documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw the job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the 'Apply' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS? document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Resume Operations Center Mail stop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
