Preliminary+Internship+Plan

Within the first week of your internship at NASA/Ames, you are required to submit a __Preliminary Internship Plan (PRI)__ to your Student Program Coordinator (**__this will be due on the Friday of your first week__**). The PRI should summarize the technical and professional goals of your internship, how you plan to achieve those goals, and the expected technical outcomes and educational benefits to you. The purpose of this plan is to eliminate any misunderstandings of the purpose of your internship, and to establish early clear communication between you and your mentor, and to provide you with measurable and tangible outcomes and results. Please follow the outline given below in writing your PRI.

Begin with the sections indicated below and answer the questions provided in each part. When you have this material developed, you may reorganize it to flow more logically while covering the same ground. A project plan of **__two or three pages__**, carefully thought out and precisely worded, can be sufficient to make all the important points.
 * __ Structure and Content: __**

a. What is the basic purpose and goals of the professional organization in which you will be working? b. What are the specific goals(s) toward which you will be working, and how will your efforts benefit the organization? c. What is the current status of the research or professional activities that you will be involved in? d. What will be the contribution and significance of your effort if it is successful? What are your expected working hours and days? // Note: You will probably have to ask your mentor a lot of questions and read some or all of the reference material provided for you in order to answer these questions //
 * // 1. //****// Introduction/Background //**

a. What do you aim to accomplish in your project? What is your starting point? What are your initial assumptions or conditions? What will be the result or product of a successful outcome for your project? What are the criteria for project completion or for success? (In other words, how will you know when you have accomplished what you set out to do?) b. If you are conducting research, what will you measure (and under what conditions); or, what will you calculate, model, or simulate; or what will you design, and what are the requirements; or what will you build or test?
 * // 2. //****// Objectives //**

a. How will you reach your objective or produce your desired final product? What are the principal steps or milestones along the path? How long will each take? What steps promise to be the most difficult, and how will you overcome the difficulties? With what other people or groups will you be collaborating? Will completion of your project depend on results from other people in related projects? b. What equipment or other resources will you need? Which of these are already in place, and which will you have to make or procure?
 * // 3. //****// Approach //**

a. Preparing a schedule of the principal activities and events demonstrates that you have taken a systematic approach to planning your work.
 * // 4. //****// Project Schedule //**

a. List all pertinent papers or reports that you have consulted to prepare your plan. Include remarks or suggestions from your prospective supervisor, or from other people with whom you have talked.
 * // 5. //****// References //**

During your first week at Ames, request a meeting with your mentor to obtain information needed to write the project plan. Bring prepared questions to the initial meeting, and approach the mentor with a positive attitude and desire to be well prepared to begin the project. Take careful notes during the meeting with the mentor, write the project plan, and submit to the Student Program Coordinator.