RCBC alum and aerospace scholar
Monday, Apr 15, 2019

Eric Shaw

Since graduating from RCBC, Eric Shaw has been continuing his education at Rowan University. Shaw is currently enrolled full-time and is pursuing his bachelor’s in Physics, and is looking forward to graduation in the spring of 2020.

In the fall of 2016, Shaw was selected to be a NASA Community College Aerospace Scholar (NCAS). The program is an educational experience for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Students apply and participate in a month long online workshop, if they score high enough in the class they can attend the four-day on-site experience. Community College STEM students get an authentic NASA experience through this program. He was not only selected to participate in the online workshop, but was chosen to participate in the on-site experience.

In the spring of 2016, Shaw participated in the college’s Undergraduate Research (UGR) Initiative and along with his team presented The Europa Project. The goal of this project was to develop a type of robot that would be sent on a mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. This robot would go to Europa on a lander and move around separately to collect data, images and samples of the moon. NASA is planning the Europa Multiple Flyby Mission that is set to launch in the 2020s. The students built the prototype robot and submitted the idea to NASA.

“RCBC’s undergraduate research program has helped me greatly,” Shaw said. “Most Physics students at Rowan don’t get to do research until their third year so I got a head start.”

Shaw is hoping to work as a research assistant at Rowan University as part of their Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

 “I’m also grateful for having wonderful professors at RCBC. They gave me the tools needed to excel in the higher level Physics courses at Rowan.”

Eric’s story is part of RCBC’s 50 stories for 50 years. In honor of the college’s 50th anniversary, RCBC is profiling students, faculty, administrators, alumni and the college community. Anyone interested in being featured can contact rcbcnews@rcbc.edu. To follow along on social media, use #RCBC50Stories.