WTMC student earns NASA internship

Rebecca Hullstrung, a WTMC student, landed a an internship with NASA. Alisa Chmerenko | Washtenaw Voice

Kristy Kazzi

Staff Writer

Rebecca Hullstrung, currently a student at WCC, secured a prestigious NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) internship while she was still at WTMC, the high school on campus.

Her journey with NASA began in middle school where she participated in a couple of programs, sparking her interest in the data aspect of space exploration.

Reflecting on her experience, she shared, “I thought it was cool how small we are and how much there could be out there that really intrigued me.”
During her internship, Hullstrung’s favorite aspect was the hands-on work of making modules. “It was a great experience,” she said, highlighting her involvement in crafting antennas for various high schools to collect data on Solar Radio Bursts. She also recorded the modules to enhance her understanding of antenna usage.

Hullstrung further emphasized the versatility of NASA projects, noting opportunities in teaching and manufacturing by saying, “If you are interested in doing any NASA projects, this is a great one because there’s a bunch of different areas you can go into like teaching, or manufacturing.”
Dr. Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, a research faculty member in climate and space sciences and engineering (CLaSP), shared his motivation for entering the field, citing his “interest in discovery.”

Speaking about Hullstrung’s internship, which was in collaboration with the University of Michigan and NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission, Akhavan-Tafti said he was excited to include Hullstrung despite the additional hurdles due to her minor status.
He said, “I was delighted to do it because it meant that we would have Rebecca’s perspective as a high school student,” underscoring the importance of incorporating diverse viewpoints into their projects to ensure accessibility.

Hullstrung’s astronomy professor, Daniel Majaess, also played a crucial role in her internship placement, praising her active participation and sharp intellect.