Moorpark College Student Will Head to Space Center

Moorpark College math and engineering student Khevin Pratt has been selected as one of 92 students nationwide to be part of the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program.

He and that other honored students will have the opportunity to participate in a three-day on-site event at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. The program offers students an opportunity to learn more about what NASA does and how they can become a part of it. The onsite experience, which will include an exploration team project directed by NASA engineers; engineer, scientist and astronaut briefings and a tour of NASA facilities.

Another componant of the program interactive web-based activities including 20 hours of pre-work and online interaction with participants and NASA engineers.

While participating in the web-based assignments during the school year, Pratt qualified for the NASA robotics experience. On one assignment, he invented a human-like wind-powered robotics apparatus named Hu-Bot. Pratt plans to work with NASA engineers and scholars to further develop the invention in hopes of making it a part of a 2016 Mars exploration launch.

Pratt's long-term goals include helping to rebuild ecologically and socially sustainable communities and ecosystems devastated by tornado, earthquake or hurricane destruction. He believes the technological expertise and cumulative wisdom available through the NCAS program will help him achieve his goals.