After getting her "first real immersion" through Space Camp at age 12, Jessica Tramaglini knew she wanted to work for NASA.

This summer, Tramaglini (senior-aerospace engineering) moved one step closer to her goal as she gained acceptance into the highly competitive NASA Academy. The program is a 10-week multidisciplinary internship that gives students the critical exposure needed to work within the aerospace industry, according to the program Web site, academy.nasa.gov.

Out of the hundreds of students who apply for the program, only 19 were accepted to be NASA Academy Research Associates (RAs), Tramaglini said.

"In my NASA Academy there are geologists, astro-scientists and aerospace engineers. We were each matched with someone in our field, so you can use some of the skills you've learned," she said.

While the RAs work on projects similar to other NASA interns, the group is only on-site 60 percent of the time, Tramaglini said. The rest of their time is devoted to other activities.

Over the past weeks, the students have met with prominent NASA officials and have taken trips to other NASA headquarters, including the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers, Tramaglini said.

"Sometimes speakers will even come and talk to us over dinner," she said. "We are learning all facets of the industry. It's given me a broader view of how aerospace institutions are interconnected and how the private industry is growing and working together towards our space endeavors."

The academic curriculum works to balance opportunities for hands on experience with teaching an awareness of the complexities behind current and future aerospace programs, according to the program's Web site.

Sven Bilen, an associate professor of engineering design and electrical engineering and aerospace engineering who worked with Tramaglini in the Student Space Program Labs, said it is her intelligence and "positive can-do attitude" that has helped prepare her for the program, along with her involvement in the Penn State Flyin' Lions.

Founded in 2000, the Flyin' Lions create a proposal each year for a NASA-run competition to test experiments in the C-9 micro-gravity aircraft, Bilen said.

Tramaglini has participated in the program the last two years, both of which the group won. As team leader this year, she led the group to victory and on to the Johnson Space Center, where they prepared and flew their experiment during Flight Week.

After participating in these micro-gravity flights, Tramaglini said she wouldn't mind going into space.

"My goal is to work at the Johnson Space Center in mission control, but I'm happy doing whatever I can to support space exploration," she said.

During the 10-week program, Tramaglini and the other 18 participants work together to complete a group project on a topic based on proposals submitted by NASA researchers, according to the program Web site. This year the group chose space policy.

"It's really been interesting talking to people within the industry to see what they think," she said. "It's been a rewarding experience that puts into perspective everything I've learned."