Monday, July 20, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailyicom MORE THAN A MTTRAL 13 'U' alum joins NASA team EdI und( for Man becomi for NAE Cise tu reality. Van est in a he grev include tually l Space C "The more ft esting i refinet Cise sa a life pa Last rialized Van Cis als sele tors in Van Cise credits Johnson Space Center. on the International Space Station. Flight directors are responsible Van Cise said that getting the ergrad schooling for a variety of tasks within Mission chance to work at Johnson Space Control, ranging from managing Center as an undergraduate NASA position shuttle and space station missions to cemented his desire to work for coordinating work within NASA and NASA after graduation. By ERIC CHIU with NASA's international partners. "I grew up thinking that I really Daily StaffReporter Van Cise, who graduated from wanted to work at NASA, but actu- the University with a degree in ally havingthe experience and get- y kids harbor dreams of aerospace engineering, attributed ting the opportunity to do it, I was ng astronauts and working both his time in Ann Arbor as a able to see first-hand what it's like SA. University alum Ed Van student and his involvement with before making a career out of it," rned this aspiration into a Johnson Space Center's Coopera- he said. tive Education Program as the big- Van Cise added that his time at Cise developed an inter- gest factors to securing his career. the University had a major influ- irplanes at an early age. As The Cooperative Education ence on him becoming flight direc- w up, his interests grew to Program hires students to work tor because it laid the foundation math and science and even- full-time at Johnson Space Center for his future successes. ed him to work at Johnson for three semesters. NASA rarely "The undergrad experience cer- enter in Houston, Texas. hires applicants who haven't par- tainly set me up for everythingthat more I got involved, the ticipated in the program, and the I've been exposed to here," Van un it was, the more inter- competition is especially difficult Cise said. t was, and so I was able to - more than 800 applicants apply He credited his time in the Col- what I wanted to do," Van each year for 45 positions. lege of Engineering for giving him id. "It's kind of always been Van Cise's first semester at NASA the skills needed to succeed at nssion, I guess." started in Jan. 1998. During his NASA. As an undergraduate, Van month, that passion mate- time in the program, he worked in Cise was able to participate in a i into a high-profile career. several departments, doing every- variety of extracurricular proj- e was one of three individu- thing from helping with research ects - including one project that cted to become flight direc- projects to becoming certified to was flown on NASA's zero-gravity NASA's Mission Control at teach diagnostics to crew members See NASA, Page 7 Artist Rob Davis unveils the largest Tantric Buddhist mural in America Saturday at the Tsogyelgar Dharma Center on 1701 West Liberty. The mural --12 feet high across 60 feet of wall - depicts Buddhist deities abiding ina divine paradise. Carl Orff's Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Hill Auditorium Blue Lake International Youth Symphony and Choir Directed by Dr. Mark Webb Choreography by Cory Goei and Penelope Freeh Ove 2 f oie - ALSO FEATURED - Blue Lake Faculty Concerts & Workshops Student Art Exhibition MICHIGAN UNION 5:00 - 7:00 P.M. More information at bluelake.org/ebl