Our team and mission

This position is based at European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC – Galaxia) – Transinne, Belgium

In consideration of the geographical location of ESEC-Galaxia, successful applicants are recommended to identify accommodation close to the site, or to have / obtain a driving license prior to the take up of the internship

The ESA Education Office has the objective to use space as a theme to (a) enhance the literacy of young people in science and technology and (b) to motivate young Europeans to pursue a space related career.

In support of these educational objectives, for younger pupils the Office offers a STEM programme:

• Through a comprehensive partner network across ESA member states, classroom resources that can be used by teachers and pupils of STEM subjects
• Teacher training courses that use space as a context to enhance the teaching of STEM subjects
• Classroom projects and competitions

For university students and early career professionals, the Office offers the ESA Academy programme, comprising of three main segments:

• An academic training programme which offers individuals dedicated training on a multitude of space related topics
• A projects programme allowing teams to design build, test and operate nano satellites or, payload experiments on space-related platforms such as sounding rockets, International Space station, Drop Towers etc
• An engagement pillar, providing students and young professionals with scholarship, conference and networking opportunities.

All the Education Office activities are managed and implemented from a dedicated infrastructure in ESEC-Galaxia in Belgium, the ESA Education Training Centre which houses several facilities. Firstly, the e-technology lab, a didactic laboratory, offers direct hands-on experience by using space robotics and space science as learning and teaching contexts for teacher training.

Secondly, the CubeSat Support Facility (CSF) is an assembly integration and testing facility for CubeSats. Its purpose is to offer training and test facilities for university students that are part, or aiming to be part, of ESA’s educational CubeSat initiatives such as ‘Fly Your Satellite!’, as well as supporting practical training as part of the Training and Learning Programme’s courses and workshops.

Thirdly, ESA Academy’s state of the art Training and Learning Facility welcomes students on a regular basis to attend courses where ESA, industry and academic experts impart their knowledge on varying space subjects as diverse as Concurrent Engineering practices, Human Physiology, Space law to name a few.

For further information visit our web site: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic: Science and Engineering support for ESA Academy’s Training Programme

As an intern, you will assist in the preparation and delivery of ESA Academy training sessions delivered by ESA and external experts to university students.

To that end, you will support: The calls for applications and selection process of the university students, the organisation of the training sessions and the related logistics, the review and preparation of the training material for lectures, workshops and group projects, the delivery and evaluation of the training sessions, a.o. by attending most of them, the interface with ESA, academic and industrial experts, the development of training content and material for new training sessions including E-learning.

In particular you will support the hands-on activities using ESAT models and ExoMy Robots.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education

You must have student status and be enrolled at university for the entire duration of the internship. You should preferably be in your final or second to last year of a university course at master’s level in a technical or scientific discipline.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

Additional Requirements:

You should have:

• A good background in science or engineering;
• Interest and/or experience in education;
• A good proficiency in English is required.

Previous experience in supporting student groups or organizing educational events as well as knowledge of CubeSats and/or Robotics are considered an asset.