Virtual Event: NASA's CTE Day at Kennedy Space Center

Virtual Event: NASA’s Career Technical Education Day at Kennedy Space Center
(NOTE This virtual program has two sessions!)

NASA invites students to explore exciting career pathways in engineering technology and the technical workforce! This immersive event is designed to inspire the next generation of innovators, makers, and problem-solvers through hands-on experiences and real-world applications.

Virtual Sessions:
-Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026

-Time: 360 Virtual Field Trip Session at 10:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. ET and

-Time: Panel Discussion Session at 1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. ET

-Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET

-Target Audience: High school/Community College Students

Discover Technical Careers in Rapid Prototyping and Problem-Solving:
Join NASA Kennedy Space Center to explore how rapid prototyping and problem-solving are critical to achieving complex NASA missions and advancing space exploration. Students will hear directly from Kennedy Space Center subject matter experts about their career journeys to NASA, what a typical day in their role looks like, and the diverse pathways available for students pursuing technical careers at the agency.

Interactive Learning Experience:
The event kicks off at 10:00 a.m. ET with a 360 virtual field trip of the Prototype Development Laboratory (PDL), offering students an immersive tour of the space where NASA engineers, technicians, fabricators, and machinists collaborate to solve complex operational challenges at America's premier launch site. Through this interactive experience, students will gain firsthand insight into the wide range of technical disciplines represented within the lab.

Then, at 1:00 p.m. ET, students will virtually join a panel featuring Kennedy Space Center experts, where professionals will discuss their career paths, share stories of their work at NASA, and answer questions about the technical roles available at the agency. Through hands-on activities and direct interaction with PDL professionals, students will discover career paths in mechanical and electrical engineering, CNC machining, welding, composite materials fabrication, additive manufacturing, 3D printing, data acquisition, and LabVIEW software programming. This experience will showcase how NASA's collaborative engineering environment provides unique opportunities for students interested in design, manufacturing, and testing.

For Students Interested In:
-Mechanical & Electrical Engineering
-CNC Machining
-Welding
-Composite Materials Fabrication
-Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
-Data Acquisition
-LabVIEW Software Programming
-Design, Manufacturing & Testing

Registration Requirements:
-Open Registration: Registration is open to individual participants.
-Classroom Registration: Please include the anticipated number of students and educators in your application. If there are any other classrooms connecting with this registration, we highly recommend their classroom self-register for the event. Invitation links are not shareable.

NOTE: You may see an error message after submitting your application. Please disregard as this is a known display issue. Your application will be successfully submitted and automatically accepted. To confirm, check that your Application Status shows "Accepted Offer".

**Eligible Applicants:** Student and Educator
**Academic Level:** K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Undergraduate Freshman, Undergraduate Sophomore, Undergraduate Junior, Undergraduate Senior
**Activity Type:** Virtual
**Citizenship:** US Citizen Only
**Type:** Pre-College STEM Experience