1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
04\/017\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justin Saldivar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim Ward<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Virginia Air and Space Science Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Teresa Duvall\/TA Joshua Russell<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CYSE 368<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spring 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3.INTRODUCTIONS AND OBJECTIVES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4.GENERAL ENVIRONMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5.MAJOR DUTIES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.USAGE OF SKILLS PRESENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7.CURRICULUM SUPPORT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8.SENSE OF FULFILLMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9.THE UPS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10.THE DOWNS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11.THE CHALLENGES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12.NEEDED SKILLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13.CONCLUSION<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this paper, I hope to detail my experiences and circumstances that surrounded my internship at the Virginia Air and Space Science Center in as much detail as I can manifest and remember, from the reasons I selected it to begin with, the organization I ended up with, the initial introductions, and the managerial side of it; Additionally I hope to fully divulge the work I did at the organization I interned at and their overall importance, the cybersecurity skills or general knowledge I put to use at the internship and if my understanding of those skills improved on the job, if my university education prepared me at all for the internship. Finally; I wish to explain if the objectives I had laid out were met or not, alongside this the encouraging and discouraging aspects of the internship will be covered, a guide with various methods to help one excel at this internship should they wish to pursue it as well. Finally, we will wrap this up by overviewing the main takeaways found from the internship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To begin, I wish to first state my initial learning objectives for the internship and the nature of the place I interned at. My first learning objective for the internship was to hopefully gain a greater understanding of the STEM fields both near the purview of Cybersecurity and far outside its scope of knowledge. I wanted to learn more about the systems in place which could be at risk from both attackers and natural incidents. The second learning objective for the internship was to improve my ability to interact and collaborate with those both within the field of Cybersecurity and outside of it, this is mostly because I have always been under the impression that such skills are both needed and underrepresented in the field of Cybersecurity to an extent. The third objective I had was to improve my ability to retain consistent output and performance in several fields for future endeavours, in short I wanted to learn how to be consistent with my work for long periods of time. Finally, the last objective wasn\u2019t much as a solid guideline as it was a general feeling to aim for, that being what enjoyment I can derive from the experience. They say that a job that can be enjoyable isn\u2019t one at all, so with this internship I hoped for a similar experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the initial objectives covered, the background of the place I interned at comes to mind, the Virginia Air and Space Science Center was first envisioned in 1985 thanks in part to local support advocating for a center of learning about the area’s rich history in aeronautics. The efforts of the Hampton council, several public officials, and NASA would coalesce on April 5, 1992 into the Science Center. Offering an in-depth look into the myriad fields of STEM in addition to a guided tour on the nation’s history with air and space flight. It is a hotspot for local school events due to its educational facilities and historical items of interest. I initially found this internship through a rejection letter. As I was practically out of options, I sent my resume in and hoped for the best. A prayer which was surprisingly answered at that with my newfound position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My initial onboarding was two-part. The first half was at ODU\u2019s Innovation lab not too far away from the center, there I got a rough impression of the work I would do alongside the basic paperwork that needed to be done. The second half at the Science Center itself was far more in-depth about the responsibilities I would have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To finish this section, I explained the main objectives of the paper, what I wanted to learn or gain from my time at my internship, a small review about the history of the location the internship was at and its purpose, and the short onboarding I experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The management environment of the internship was initially imposing in some ways, but over time I got used to it. To start, besides the initial seminar which helped establish who we would be working for. I had two people who I had to regularly answer to, the internship coordinator at the innovation center. Who helped bridge the gap between the Science Center and ODU. And my on-site manager who dictated the various tasks that I had to undertake while I was at the Science Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although I kept some modicum of contact with the Innovation Center coordinator, my on-site Internship manager was the one I had to go to the most when it came to assignments. During relatively busy days like school events or the weekends, I could easily reach her for assistance or news either physically or through messaging her via a text message. In addition, she made efforts to check up on us from time to time whenever she could to observe our progress and situation. This even extended to limited assistance in setting certain stations up or helping in-house projects along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although I would not describe the managerial method observed as lax, I would say that it allowed for us to have a high degree of autonomy to do what we saw as fit in whatever situation we found ourselves in. Typically she would send out emails and messages that outlined plans for the day and left us to perform in the selected roles as necessary. I would argue that this somewhat hands off approach was due in part to two factors, one was that she trusted in our capabilities to handle events and daily visitors. And the other was out of scheduled necessity, although her role as an internship manager required a large sum of her attention, there were most certainly other matters that could on occasion require more cognitive resources than expected, thus the need for a self-reliant workforce would make sense in that context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, I would say that in spite of the loose style of management, it was conducive to my learning as a whole, as I was forced to adapt on the fly while stationed with others or by my lonesome. In spite of this fact, there was still enough communication and direct instruction to help ground myself and have pointers as to how tasks were to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For my major duties and assignments given to me during my tenure at the center, a couple come to mind. To begin, my role as an intern often sent me to the front lines during most work days, this is to say I was expected to interact with visitors on the regular and assist my colleagues in various tasks all the while. To elaborate, the Science Center has numerous interactable exhibits which each demonstrate some aspect of the center’s background in the aeronautical fields which made the Center possible to begin with. Visitors are encouraged to interact with these exhibits to learn how their projects, in spite of their comparatively smaller sizes, can help show them how their larger cousins out in the real world work on the same fundamental principles as they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the main roles I had handled during my time at the internship was the upstairs robotics lab, with plenty of lighting and a whole dedicated room to support it. The robotics lab was perhaps the busiest position I held during my time due to it grabbing the attention of most visitors within the Center’s walls. Inside the robotics lab there were various stations that used commercial robotics to help demonstrate various concepts in astronomy in addition to various facts about the numerous space missions undertaken over the years. As the robotics lab is the biggest contributor to the engagement of visitors while they are exploring the Science Center. I was often sent there to either open it up for the day and handle oncoming visitors or to relieve someone who was there while my attention was divided elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A major project I had to undertake was the sorting out of robotics kits in a storage room nearby the robotics lab, consisting of various components alongside devices meant to power and maneuver the robot once it was fully built. The kits in the storage room were incredibly disorganized when I was first sent in with many not even having the parts necessary to complete the robot. Requiring me to sometimes cannibalize parts from other kits just to complete one, these measures were necessary as during the summer. These robotics kits would be used by summer programs to demonstrate STEM ideas through students having to assemble the robots themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To quickly summarize, my main role as intern was to either help run the numerous stations scattered throughout the Science Center to help demonstrate certain STEM concepts for visitors and provide support or clarification whenever necessary and sort out robotics kits that were to be used in the upcoming summer programs the Center has on occasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concerning the usage of skills that concern the field of Cybersecurity for the internship: To put it simply, I was absolutely hard-pressed to find any opportunities to flex the skills I have learned during my tenure at Old Dominion University. However, I would say that I learned and improved upon certain skills that are not intrinsically tied to Cybersecurity as a field. Before that however, I think it prudent to describe some skills I had before I joined the Internship for references sake at the very least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most important skills that I had prior to joining the internship was my rough understanding of programming at least in the miscellaneous sense, my time with programming languages such as Python in addition to handling several types of command line languages allowed me to understand the mechanics behind some of the robots used in the robotics lab, as although they were a primitive form of much more complex works in the end. They still utilized the same base as what I learned during my time at the college campus, enabling me to understand their base mechanics and be able to explain what I knew to curious visitors inquiring about the nature of the robots present in the laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A skill that went underutilized to an egregious extent was my knowledge around security measures and protection, seeing as Cybersecurity is absolutely dependent on one knowing not just protection measures, but the mechanisms behind a potential attack and how to mitigate those risks to the best of one’s abilities. Unfortunately, with my position which more required an active presence compared to sitting behind the desk. There was little to do in the front of Cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should be noted that most of the Cybersecurity and programming skills I had and hadn\u2019t been able to use at the internship were mostly from my time at school, fortunately. My stint at the Robotics Lab gave me additional insight into the nature of how the robots were programmed. This is due to the fact that many of the stations within the confines of the lab were able to be manually programmed by visitors to accomplish certain tasks, something that I have now taken note of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To summarize, the skills of Cybersecurity which I had cultivated for a long while were somewhat neglected in the internship I found myself in, the security focused skills I had learned were not able to be utilized on account of my intern position often shifting me more towards physical interactions with people instead of technology, at most I needed to switch out devices in the Robotics Lab to charge them up or store them away <\/p>\n\n\n\n
for the day. In spite of this, my knowledge on programming allowed me to enrich the learning experiences of those visiting the Robotics Lab by being able to answer their question on the functioning of the robots.
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7<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next question that is on the list is if my education at Old Dominion University from the general curriculum to the more specialized field I went into helped me at all during my internship at the Virginia Air and Space Science Center. This can range from the connections between my education and the fields associated with the Science Center, If any reinforcement of learning occurred as a result of my time at the Center, and finally if I learned anything new while I was at the Center that could be brought back and utilized both on the campus and maybe even beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To start, although my main Cybersecurity knowledge would initially seem to fall flat during my early weeks at the Science Center, I began to realize that instead of my specific knowledge coming in handy, It was the general knowledge about electronics that was the saving grace. To be more specific, during and even before I went to Old Dominion I did some work on basic programming and robotics in the form of free time activities and after-school programs. It would be these skills, not Cyber-specific skills that would be the bigger winner overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To continue on from the last point, the skills I have highlighted in the last section were the ones that were enhanced and improved the most during my time at the Center. Because of how often I had to work with the robots present in the Robotics Lab, I could both gain a deeper understanding of the know-how behind their operations and diagnose any potential problems that might have arisen over the long day of operation and respond in an orderly manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides the obvious improvements to skills I had already had, the backroom robot kit project had put my organizational skills to the test like none before. This was because they were composed of nearly hundreds of parts each, all requiring both careful sorting and referencing to given manuals so that each kit never came up short in terms of parts. This caused me to gain a stronger ability to both multitask and creativity, as I began to both utilize the resources I had on hand with the limited space I was working with to have a comprehensive spread of all parts associated with a kit spread neatly out on a nearby table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To finish this portion up, I believe that the skills I had cultivated at campus were indeed put to the test and improved as a result, in addition I gained new and improved organizational skills from tackling the backroom project all on my own, with this newfound knowledge I hope to be able to apply it for future endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concerning the original objectives that I stated at the beginning of the paper, I wish to detail whether or not I achieved or didn\u2019t achieve those goals through this internship from if I gained a better understanding of the STEM fields present in the Center, how to improve my interactions with others outside the field, retain consistent performance throughout the week, and if it was at all enjoyable to do at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting with the first article on the list. I definitely believe that I achieved this goal wholeheartedly. It wasn\u2019t simply that I had to manage the myriad of stations which each have their own mechanics and it wasn\u2019t also just the robot kit project I was assigned to. I think the Center and its exhibits themselves were the factor that pushed my understanding over the edge. This is because the exhibits present would have never been completed through a single field, instead it was the work of disparate but multidisciplinary efforts that pushed these would-be plans into reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second article on the list is also another that I would say was accomplished with flying colors, this is because during my time at the Virginia Air and Space Science Center I was able to interact with numerous people from and beyond the field of my study, this didn\u2019t just mean the visitors that would come in. My colleagues that helped me along the way came from all walks of life and study, through my interactions with them I had a better appreciation for the social factor of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third article on the list is one I can\u2019t say I fully accomplished to the fullest, although I most certainly made significant strides such as reaching the Science Center as early as possible and as traffic permitted, I sometimes faltered both getting into the Science Center and working. During the Spring Break I went to the Career Center to get in as many hours as possible, although I wanted to aim for more. A combination of lethargy and plain bad weather gimped this goal by a sizable margin sadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last article, although incredibly subjective and a tad vague. Was one I most certainly didn\u2019t fail on at all, from the location, daily events, to the near-guarantee of downtime. I was able to be nearly absorbed into my work without fail, this is not to mention the random events and interactions between the visitors and I that always kept me prepared for anything to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To conclude this portion, although most of my objectives were met with near-resounding success such as an improved understanding of STEM fields, a greater appreciation for the social aspects of the fields, and simple enjoyment in the work I put in. The consistency objective was not fully met in its total sum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were several motivating, demotivating, and challenging factors that I found during my time at the internship. In the next couple of pages I will try to articulate my joys and struggles to the best of my ability. Examples such as general mood, travel times, and even the atmosphere of the Science Center will all play a crucial part in my assessments as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To begin, I think the biggest contributor to my often positive mood throughout the internship was the location itself. Besides acknowledging my obvious biases towards the field of aeronautics and spaceflight in general. The Science Center was built like a hangar to accommodate the exhibits present inside. This resulted in an incredibly spacious interior with plenty of natural light being able to seep through, I could always look outside for a brief respite on the slower day or go for a short walk throughout the Science Center if at all possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second factor that increased my motivation by tenfold was the simple fact that I had an internship in such a location to begin with, as personal as it maybe. I was originally slated for a completely different position prior to this one; I found out on the same day of the general orientation that I was in fact selected for two positions, one at ODU\u2019s Innovation Centers Lab and the Science Center. Although I wouldn\u2019t have minded the first position, the prestige of being at a NASA center of learning was hard to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third factor which grounded me to the work were my colleagues and supervisors surprisingly. During the initial rocky weeks of the Internship where everything was somewhat uncertain, it was their presence and support which assured me that the turbulence would pass, in addition. I have been able to retain consistent contact with these factors, something that is very much helpful during the more hectic shifts at the Science Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To summarize this portion. The biggest factors that encouraged me during the internship was the nature of the internships location, as it was a spacious and well-lit area which alleviated the sometimes cramped nature of some of its areas, the organization associated with the internship as I had always admired them for their significant societal contributions, and the people that managed and worked alongside me. As their assistance in matters that were sometimes overwhelming helped keep my head in the game so to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the discouraging factors of the Internship, there are a few I can think of. Some of the examples that will be delved further into include the travel times, crammed schedule, and loss of free time and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first example of discouraging factors as outlined above were the travel costs tied to the Internship. The biggest issue present was the simple fact that the Internship was located across a very much cramped and confusing route across a major bridge. Although this problem was less apparent on the weekday shifts, as the Norfolk campus of Old Dominion University is a much better stepping off point to the Science Center compared to my house which was much further away in contrast. Bridge closures and severe traffic could greatly hamper my efforts in getting to my Internship, this is not to mention the associated travel costs tied to such an endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second discouraging factor that was ever-present during my stint at the Virginia Air and Space Science Center was the resulting schedule cramming I had to do to accommodate such a daunting task. Even though I eventually acclimated to the new schedule quite well, the reality of having to not just sleep in earlier on nights before the Internship and having to complete schoolwork at a faster pace were somewhat intimidating prospects for a while prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tying to the previous factor. The loss of free time and energy most certainly had knock on effects, on certain days I was absolutely wiped even before I clocked in at the Internship let alone after I left the location. This isn\u2019t even mentioning the reduced leisurely time I now had to work with as small as the complaint is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To summarize this portion, the biggest factors which were discouraging were the travel costs and time to reach the Internship on account of both the physical location of the Science Center and the fiscal resources required to make it a consistent trip. The newly revamped schedule which took a long while to get used to as adjustments to how I managed my schedule were needed and finally the mounting physical and mental costs associated with both working at the internship and balancing all the other factors present in my life at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of the challenging factors of the Internship, there are several I can think of and will delve further into: Managing the school program that led me to the internship , handling both my coursework and the Internship at the same time, and balancing my budget around the Internship surprisingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To elaborate on the first reason, the school course that I picked up required me to have an internship to properly gain the credits it offered. In addition, my degree outright required me to find an Internship lest I be unable to pass. Even though the Internship part was accomplished handily, there was a major factor I needed to tackle. That being the required 150 hours needed from an Internship to complete the course, this seemed impossible to accomplish from the outset, for my schedule was almost poised to doom me. However, given smart planning and the sacrifice of some time on my end, the situation was ultimately resolved thankfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What could not be resolved as quickly and easily was the delicate dance that had to be performed with both the Internship and my rapidly increasing courseload. Deceptively simple from the outset, I soon realized the potential severity of the situation due to several near-miss deadlines I had during the opening weeks of the Internship. Fortunately, I managed to quickly rectify the situation through careful planning and a few proactive moves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally and perhaps the most concerning of which was the fiscal drain the Internship was, as it demanded a good majority of the free time I had once had. I was unable to work at a part-time job I had as often as I would\u2019ve liked. Even though my side-job was understanding of my plight, my car wasn\u2019t throughout the Internship. I had to carefully ration my resources to spend on gas. A matter which was further complicated by recent events outside my control which greatly spiked costs, further leading into deeper deficits. With the Internship coming to a close however, this drought may soon come to an end thankfully!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To wrap up this section, the main challenges imposed by the Internship were both academic and financial, the hours required by the Internship forced me to change how I used my time and what ways I could gain the requisite hours needed to pass the class tied to the Internship. The knock on effects produced by this new paradigm was also something I needed to cope and prevail over, as I now needed to be far more active to prevent a potentially devastating academic backlog from overwhelming me. Finally, the money drain presented by driving a car near-daily to such a faraway location was something I needed to consider when it came to travel plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I were to recommend this internship to aspiring volunteers, there are a myriad of skillsets and preparations I would emphatically recommend to them before they tackle such a daunting task. Some of which I want to cover include: The ability to interact with numerous types of people and put on a confident facade, an ability to both multitask and work on stations with little support, and being able to build a rapport with others in the same situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first may seem absolutely benign compared to the others, I would argue that it isn\u2019t just about dealing with numerous characters from all walks of life and differing circumstances, it’s that you will need to deal with them on a near constant basis. You will need to both supervise and give many kinds of people guidance in a positive and helpful tone, something that isn\u2019t so simple to fake even more so after an incredibly long day of doing the same thing over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second factor is a bit harder on the surface but is in my opinion much easier to handle compared to the first. Although initially quite daunting even to me on the first couple of days, it is simply a matter of getting used to it so to say. You will need to become very familiar with where items such as tables and robots are locked away and how to get them. Once that part is done however, it is simply a matter of setting them up at the appropriate location in the Science Center, as for setting them up and managing them by your lonesome. This is also not hard to do, the stations were practically built for ease of use and convenience. It is also quite likely that you will have someone available later on to put everything away as the day winds down which eliminates at least one more hassle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the third factor, it is something that is rather inevitable. Much like the numerous exhibits weren’t built by a single individual. So too must you lean on others for support no matter how sparse it can be from time to time, it may not be necessary to fully know them. But at least giving them a helping hand will go a long way in building rapport as small as it might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion of this portion there are several factors in play that must be acknowledged by a future volunteer to ensure their own success in the Science Center should they choose to pursue such a goal, from the ability to handle an innumerable amount of people in a day with a positive and helpful attitude no matter the circumstances, the ability to set up stations and maintain them with minimal support, and ironically. Being able to lean on others are all crucial aspects to the job that cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all being said and done, we have reached a proper final conclusion to this report, overall. This internship has been nothing short of wonderful to both my mental and academic development, the environment fostered by both the people and place really helped me become more familiar with noisy public settings and has given me the ability to respond on the fly to developing situations or questions asked. In addition, I learned a lot about the STEM fields that made such a place possible through not just hands-on experience but the location itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I believe I will hold onto the memories associated with the Internship in very high regard, as not only is it another course knocked out on my way to a diploma. But it has also given me a newfound appreciation for the fields that made my degree even exist to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that the experiences gained from my Internship will most certainly inform my future career developments and direction, before the internship I was not entirely sure as to how I should proceed with my skills and future career. Now that I have endured however, I now know what I should aim for, to be more specific. I now wish to gain more accreditations to open up future employment activities due to certified individuals being in much higher demand nowadays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1 04\/017\/2026 Justin Saldivar Kim Ward Virginia Air and Space Science Center Professor Teresa Duvall\/TA Joshua Russell CYSE 368 Spring 2026 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3.INTRODUCTIONS AND OBJECTIVES 4.GENERAL ENVIRONMENT 5.MAJOR DUTIES 6.USAGE OF SKILLS PRESENT 7.CURRICULUM SUPPORT 8.SENSE OF FULFILLMENT 9.THE UPS 10.THE DOWNS 11.THE CHALLENGES 12.NEEDED SKILLS 13.CONCLUSION 3 In this paper, I… <\/p>\n