Tonasket High School junior Peter Williams was recently accepted into the Washington Aerospace Scholars program. Photo by Emily Hanson
TONASKET – Tonasket High School junior Peter Williams was recently accepted into Phase II of the Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program.
“Phase II of WAS is a six-day summer residency experience,” Melissa Edwards, WAS administrator, wrote in an announcement of Williams’ acceptance. “In each of the residency sessions, four teams of Scholars work cooperatively to plan a human mission to Mars with support from professional engineers/scientists, university students and certificated educators. Each session also includes briefings from aerospace professionals, tours of engineering facilities and hands-on engineering challenges involving model rocketry, robotics, landing devices and payload lofting. The daily schedule is quite full and the students lodge in double rooms at a local hotel under the supervision of certificated teachers. Travel, lodging and meal expenses are provided to participating students and teachers thanks to the WAS Foundation and our many generous donors.”
Williams will be attending the summer residency from July 18 to July 24 and said he is really looking forward to the program.
“I really enjoy aerospace and I’ll be with kids who enjoy the same things I do,” Williams said. “It wasn’t that I was very surprised when I found out I was accepted because they told us the average scores of the people who are accepted and my scores were higher than that but once they finally told me I was going, I was very excited.”
Williams, who is planning to major in Aerospace Science or Aerodynamic Engineering in college after next year, said that he believes this program will help prepare him for either of those majors.
His interest in aerospace is not the only reason Williams is looking forward to the program.
“This will be my first time flying by myself,” he said, he said with a small smile. “Also, local legislatures are invited to attend the banquet at the end of the program. I’m interested in meeting Joel Kretz, Bob Morton and Shelly Short.”
