CLEVELAND — NASA first awarded Jorge A. Jimenez a summer internship in 2007, and today he finds himself amongst Glenn Research Center’s high-performing summer interns. Recently, Jimenez was inducted into the newly unveiled NASA Student Ambassadors Virtual Community program.

Jimenez, a Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology, or MUST intern, worked on the Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Project. His responsibilities included developing the instrumentation and improving software for monitoring pilots’ cognitive state by tracking changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations at various regions of the brain. The project forms part of a larger effort by NASA to improve aeronautic safety by preventing accidents that may arise because of pilot fatigue or distraction.

“The most exciting part of my research has been the opportunity to build and work with a team of truly brilliant individuals,” said Jimenez. “I consider my relationships with the people I work with to be amongst my most treasured assets, and I invest in them as much and often as I can.”

The MUST internship created a jump start to Jimenez’s career and provided him with unique opportunities to have fun and network. In June 2009, Jimenez was one of 11 interns chosen to see a space shuttle launch, meet other high achieving interns and attend the Education Forum at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“NASA internships are among the most exciting research and education opportunities available to college students,” said Joyce Winterton, assistant administrator for Education at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Jimenez attends Boston University, where he studies mathematics. He plans to graduate in 2010 and hopes to attend graduate school to pursue an advanced degree in pure and applied mathematics.

NASA’s MUST Project awards scholarships and internships to students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields. It also provides mentoring and support throughout the academic school year and maintains a close relationship with all students in an effort to help them craft truly outstanding careers in these cutting-edge fields.

The NASA Student Ambassadors Virtual Community seeks to build an online network designed to foster greater interaction and mentorship among outstanding interns of NASA higher education projects, thereby increasing student retention through the NASA educational pipeline and into the STEM workforce.

For more information about Jorge A. Jimenez, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/jorge-jimenez.html

For more information about the MUST Project, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/education/NASAMUST_GRC.html

For more information about NASA’s Student Ambassadors Virtual Community, visit: http://intern.nasa.gov/external/home.php

For more information about NASA’s Education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education

For more information about Glenn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn