With two years of college under his cap, one ROTC cadet took a giant leap and landed a summer internship with NASA.

Junior Brad Foreman spent 25 days working for NASA this summer. His experience was part of a new program formed between the U.S. military and NASA to give cadets the chance to discover ways the two entities can benefit each other. Lt. Cmdr. Leedjia Svec organized the program, according to Foreman.

Foreman, the only Shippensburg University cadet selected, was among six cadets chosen across the nation to participate in the internship. Working in California with his mentor, Foreman explored simulated microgravity on fruit flies — with full access to NASA’s library.

“It was a dream come true,” Foreman said.

Working under NASA scientist Diana Gentry, Foreman first tackled his topic by writing a 17-page literature review in three days. He used more than 120 sources. From there, Foreman was able to design an experiment and compare his data with NASA’s.

“When I first undertook it, it seemed impossible,” Foreman said.

Foreman doubted himself at times and questioned his abilities.

“Do I deserve to be here? I’m surrounded by all these geniuses,” Foreman said.

As his research developed, Foreman gained confidence, realizing how prepared he actually was for the internship.

Foreman is a physics major with minors in mathematics, biology and chemistry.“It’s easy to be a big fish in a little pond…but once you’re in the big pond you don’t look so big anymore,” Foreman said.

Foreman selected to study microgravity, based on one of Gentry’s ideas, because of his interest in space medicine. While many students looking to intern with NASA are interested in space engineering, Foreman said, he has a niche interest in another field.

Once he graduates from SU in two years, Foreman will serve in the U.S. Army where he hopes to be a pilot while pursuing a graduate degree. At the end of his military service, Foreman plans to seek a job in the space industry. But until commencement comes along, Foreman wants to continue his NASA research at SU.

Foreman said his first step will be to seek faculty support and apply for grants to fund his research.

If Foreman is successful, he will test fruit flies in ways to simulate microgravity, like by using free fall machines, rotating wall vessels, magnetic levitation — any methods he can possibly use.

Before his internship, Foreman was unsure of the course his education would take.

“Oh great, I’m going to a small school in rural Pennsylvania. I’m not going to have these opportunities — and I found them,” Foreman used to think.

Now, the new SU cadets see Foreman as the “NASA guy,” the cadet who has accomplished more than he dreamed in just two years of college.

During his internship, Foreman received a $4,000 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.

After the NASA internship, Foreman left for Fort Knox, Kentucky, to spend a month at Cadet Leadership Course.

All MS3 cadets from ROTC participate in this course, Foreman said.

Although Foreman’s summer adventures took him away from Shippensburg and his girlfriend and their 7-month-old daughter, he learned it never hurts to apply for new opportunities.

“I realized that if you look for the opportunities out there you can find them, and that was a huge takeaway,” Foreman said.

“I have never applied to scholarships or internships before and this year I applied to my first internship and applied for my first scholarship — and I got them both.”

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