The University of Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, as a participant in the National Space Grant College and Traineeship Program, invites applicants for NASA Undergraduate Space Grant Traineeships to support studies in the field relevant to NASAs goals as defined in the current Strategic Plan for NASA. The goal of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program is to expand opportunities for U.S. citizens to understand and participate in NASAs aeronautics and space programs by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and outreach programs.

Fields relevant to NASAs goals are mainly those in science, technology, and education that are focused on understanding the Earth, exploring the Solar System and the universe beyond, understanding the origin and evolution of life, understanding how life responds to space, creating a more secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly air transportation system, inspiring students to pursue careers in science, technology, and mathematics, and engaging the public in shaping and sharing the experience of exploration and discovery.
Undergraduates enrolled at the University of Hawaii Community Colleges are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must be sponsored by a mentor who is willing to guide the student for the duration of the award. Most mentors are faculty but senior researchers or other qualified personal at UH or elsewhere are eligible. Awards will be based on academic qualifications of the student, the quality of proposed research study and the relevance to NASAs goals. Trainees receive a stipend of $1200-$1500 for working at least five hours per week during the semester. Traineeships are awarded for one semester but may be renewed for a second.

Women, under-represented minorities (specifically Hawaiians, Filipinos, other Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics), and physically challenged students who have interest in space-related fields are particularly encouraged to apply.

Georgeanne Purvinis, assistant professor at Kaua`i Community College, continued to provide satellite tracking ground station support and to the traineeship program. The ground station activity mainly consisted of routine maintenance and some reconfiguring to support a Cal Poly cube sat effort in order to maintain proficiency for future UH projects. Curriculum changes on the campus were implemented that support these goals, such as teaching mechanical design, teaching the first two years of engineering classes and additional programming classes, circuit board fabrication, and offering projects with flying drones. One student participated in the traineeship program and the RockSatX project.

Kauai CC used student surveys to evaluate interest and effectiveness of teaching students to design and fabricate circuit boards. The curriculum used at Kauai CC is also reviewed by an advisory board consisting of local high tech employees, mainly subcontractors affiliated with the Pacific Missile Range Facilty (PMRF). The skills learned by the students are needed when participating in such NASA programs as RockSatX, of which the campus participated in during 2015-2017.