Student Intern

Science Systems and Applications Inc. (SSAI) is seeking a student intern ( approximately 10 hours per week ) to support the development and operation of waveform recording laser altimeter (lidar) systems at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The team is composed of world leaders in the development and deployment of airborne and space-based lidar systems for surface mapping and characterization. These systems rely on the precise digitization and time stamping of both the outgoing and returning lidar pulses (waveforms). Data from the team's lidars are available globally and are used to characterize and monitor surface features such as vegetation, sea ice, and ice sheets.


Key Responsibilities:

• Modifying and testing aircraft mission planning software for flight operations.
• Electrical hardware optimization activities such as detector channel crosstalk analysis, signal-to-noise characterization of detectors, and optimization of signal attenuation, potentially involving FPGA programming.
• Enhancing full-waveform lidar data analysis using machine learning techniques (improving pulse and feature detection while minimizing noise).
• Developing Python-based code to perform geolocation accuracy assessment of data products.
• Real-time data system enhancements to user interfaces and in-flight data quality assurance displays.
• Processing lidar data by combining precision trajectory and inertial guidance data with extracted points of interest from waveforms to create point clouds of geolocated targets.

Required Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Earth Science, Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Space Science, or other related discipline.
• Programming experience in Python, MATLAB, IDL, or similar languages.
• Strong interest in remote sensing, signal processing, or scientific instrumentation.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• US Citizenship or Permanent Residency required.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with signal processing or data analysis
• Experience with FPGA programming
• Familiarity with machine learning techniques
• Background in remote sensing or lidar systems
• Experience with scientific data visualization

EEO/AA Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities

Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to touch, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk and hear and occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.