Psyche Inspired Application – Iridium Class
Psyche Inspired Application
2024-2025 (Iridium Class)
The Psyche Inspired application for the 2024-2025 academic year is now open. Psyche Inspired is a program that brings undergraduate students from any discipline or major together to share the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public in new ways through artistic and creative works.
Application Deadline
Friday, July 26, 2024, at 12 p.m. (noon) Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
Eligibility Criteria
Psyche Inspired is open to all talented, creative full-time enrolled undergraduate students at universities and community colleges in the United States or its territories, regardless of major.
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Be a current full-time enrolled undergraduate student at a university or community college in the United States and its territories and must have completed at least two semesters/terms at your current university or community college prior to applying. This will be confirmed with your institution before you are admitted to the program.
- Not be graduating any earlier than the end of the spring semester of 2025 (nominally no earlier than May 2025).
- Commit to creating four original creative works over the period of the program (approximately one work per six weeks through May 2025).
- Be willing to sign an intellectual property agreement with Arizona State University.
- Commit to sending any physical works to the Psyche Inspired project office at Arizona State University (prepaid shipping labels will be provided).
- Commit to attending the weekly required meeting via videoconferencing on Fridays at 12 p.m. (noon) Pacific Time through the entirety of the program (through May 2025).
- Commit to responding to all communications from the program via email, text, and Slack in a timely manner (within 48 hours).
Applicants are not required to be U.S. citizens.
Application Preparation
Applicants should be prepared to answer:
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- Why do you want to be part of Psyche Inspired? (1000 characters or less, including spaces)
- Why do you think you are a good candidate for Psyche Inspired? (1000 characters or less, including spaces)
- Please describe a time or experience when you had to work independently to get a task or project done. How did you keep yourself motivated and on-track? (1000 characters or less, including spaces)
- Please describe a time you had to engage with your local community or the general public either to share/promote your work or to share/promote another group or extracurricular activity. What did you learn from that experience that you would apply to Psyche Inspired? (1000 characters or less, including spaces)
Applicants must submit 3 sample works of their choosing with short descriptions of each work. These sample works may be about any subject, they do not have to be related to space exploration. Required specifications for sample work options:
- Sample Images: Minimum resolution of 1024 x 786; must be uploaded as PNG, JPG, or TIF (10 MB max).
- Sample Written Work: Maximum of 1000 characters (including spaces) per sample; must be uploaded as PDF (10 MB max).
- Sample Audio: Maximum length: 2 minutes; must be posted on YouTube or Vimeo (provide link).
- Sample Video: Maximum length: 2 minutes; must be posted on YouTube or Vimeo (provide link).
Applicants must provide the name, title, and official email address of a faculty or staff member at their university or community college who can serve as a reference.
Application
The Psyche Inspired Application for 2024-2025 is now closed.
Contact
Please contact us with any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will Psyche Inspired interns do?
Psyche Inspired interns will use their creative talents to share, explain, and highlight the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission. They will become part of the Psyche team, with the opportunity to interact with Psyche scientists and engineers from NASA, ASU, and other partner institutions, and with other Psyche Inspired interns and staff.
What do we expect from our Psyche Inspired interns?
Psyche Inspired interns will meet once a week via videoconferencing with staff from Psyche Inspired and the mission team. The meetings are required and will be held on Fridays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time. [*Note for Arizona applicants: Since Arizona does not change with daylight savings time, you need to be aware that the time of the meeting will be 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. for you during daylight savings time, and 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. for you during standard time (there will not be a meeting on Veteran’s Day, so starting with our meeting on November 8th and reverting back starting with our meeting on March 21st, as there is no meeting March 14th due to ASU spring break), so you need to make sure you are available for both timeslots.]
Psyche Inspired interns will create at least one original creative work every six weeks during the 2024-2025 school year, which will amount to four works throughout the school year. These works will be guided by the mission themes of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, exploration, inspiration, teams, and inclusion. Proposals, drafts, and final products will be provided to the Psyche Inspired staff for review and then will be posted to, and highlighted on, the Psyche mission website hosted by ASU (https://psyche.asu.edu), blog, and/or social media accounts. In late spring 2025, these works will be curated into an online showcase with distributed campus participation (if possible) and then incorporated into a coffee table book.
Psyche Inspired interns will take the Psyche online course, The Process and Lifetime of a Space Mission.
Psyche Inspired interns will follow NASA’s Image Use policies and other guidelines (which will be distributed by the Psyche Inspired staff upon selection).
Psyche Inspired interns will sign an intellectual property agreement with ASU prior to joining the program.
Psyche Inspired interns will be enthusiastic ambassadors for the Psyche mission, striving to inspire and excite the public through their creative work!
How do Psyche Inspired interns benefit?
Psyche Inspired interns will be supplied with a stipend of $300 per intern to purchase materials needed to create their works (art supplies, computer software, crafting materials, etc.). The program will pay for completed physical works to be shipped to the project office at Arizona State University.
Psyche Inspired interns will have their work highlighted on the official Psyche mission website, blog, and/or social media accounts at least once per project.
Psyche Inspired interns will have their work exhibited in an online showcase with distributed campus participation (if possible) in late spring 2025.
Psyche Inspired interns will have their work showcased in a printed coffee table book and receive a copy of the book.
Psyche Inspired interns will have their work archived in an online portfolio.
Psyche Inspired interns may have their work presented and highlighted in Psyche presentations and exhibited at conferences, libraries, Psyche partner universities, NASA Centers, and at public events.
Psyche Inspired interns will gain knowledge and skills that may benefit them in their education and future employment. They will learn about the science and engineering of a space mission as well as gain skills and experience developing and promoting their own creative work locally and virtually.
Psyche Inspired interns will meet other creative students from around the country and will have the opportunity to share ideas and feedback and to collaborate.
What are the eligibility requirements of Psyche Inspired?
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Be a current full-time enrolled undergraduate student at a university or community college in the United States and its territories and must have completed at least two semesters/terms at your current university or community college prior to applying. This will be confirmed with your institution before you are admitted to the program.
- Not be graduating any earlier than the end of the spring semester of 2025 (nominally no earlier than May 2025).
- Commit to creating four original creative works over the period of the program (approximately one work per six weeks through May 2025).
- Be willing to sign an intellectual property agreement with Arizona State University.
- Commit to sending any physical works to the Psyche Inspired project office at Arizona State University (prepaid shipping labels will be provided).
- Commit to attending the weekly required meeting via videoconferencing on Fridays at 12 p.m. (noon) Pacific Time through the entirety of the program (through May 2025).
- Commit to responding to all communications from the program via email, text, and Slack (or similar) in a timely manner (within 48 hours).
Applicants are not required to be U.S. citizens.
What creative genres may apply?
We encourage any eligible undergraduate to apply who thinks that his/her creative medium would be effective at sharing the Psyche mission with the public. Examples include (but are not limited to):
3D physical works (such as ceramics, welding, glass blowing, fiber, jewelry, sculpture, etc.)
3D virtual works
Ads/posters
Comics/Animation
Choreography
Dance
Design
Drawing/sketching
Fashion/textiles
Film (including documentary)
Folk arts/crafts
Game design
Graphic art/design
Infographics
Media art
Music composition/performance
Painting
Performance arts
Photography
Poetry
Short story (fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, etc.)
Sonification (take information and turn it into sound)
Spoken word
Tattoo artistry
Theater
Other ways of creatively expressing mission information
Is this program only for art majors?
No. Psyche Inspired is open to all talented, creative full-time enrolled undergraduate students at universities and community colleges in the United States or its territories, regardless of major.
Previous Psyche Inspired interns have come from a variety of majors, including aerospace engineering, animation, art & design, art history, astrobiology, astronomy, biochemistry, biogeoscience, biology, biomedical engineering, ceramics, chemical engineering, civil engineering, communication, computer graphics technology, computer science, creative technologies, digital culture, drawing, electrical engineering, engineering management, English, environmental sustainability management, forensics, geology, graphic design, graphic information technology, illustration, industrial design, interdisciplinary studies, jewelry/metalworking, kinetic imaging, mass media, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, molecular environmental biology, music, new media design, painting, physics, public service and public policy, and sculpture.
How many participants will be selected?
We will select up to 16 interns for the 2024-2025 academic year: Up to 15 will be selected from institutions nationwide. At least 1 will be selected from Arizona State University.
Who reviews the applications?
A committee comprised of Psyche mission team members and Psyche Inspired staff will review the applications and make the final selection.
What is the process for selection?
The goal of Psyche Inspired is to communicate the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of the Psyche mission through creative/artistic expression. To this end, we aim to include the best and widest range of creative genres and presentation styles. Because we invite an open range of creative pursuits, the criteria for selection are based on qualities that all selected interns should share:
- Quality of example works (Is the work executed with high quality and care? How creative/original is the work? Is the reviewer excited at the thought of seeing more work like this? Does the reviewer think this type of work would be appropriate for communicating the Psyche mission?)
- Stated reason(s) for wanting to be part of Psyche Inspired.
- Stated reason(s) applicant believes he/she is a good candidate for Psyche Inspired.
- Demonstrated ability to follow through with projects.
- Demonstrated ability to engage with their local community or general public.
- Contact of references (If deemed necessary, the selection committee will contact the applicant’s reference to discuss the qualifications of the applicant.)
- Confirmation of eligibility (If deemed necessary, the selection committee will contact the registrar or major department of the applicant’s university or community college to confirm enrollment.)
What is the application and selection timeline?
April 16, 2024: Application is open.
July 26, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT time: Application is closed.
August 23, 2024: Selections are made; selected participants notified.
Friday, September 13, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT: Psyche Inspired kickoff meeting is held.
How can I learn more about Psyche Inspired?
Psyche Inspired webpage: https://psyche.asu.edu/get-involved/psyche-inspired/
How can I learn more about the Psyche mission?
Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/psyche/ or https://psyche.asu.edu/
Who should I contact if I have questions about the program or application?
Please contact us with any questions.