What it's like to work as a NASA quantum intern

Fourth-year Ian Chin spent last summer at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland supporting the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. It was Chin's second summer as a NASA intern, having spent the summer of 2022 researching quantum optics, a process involved in quantum communications that allows information to be sent securely via the properties of light. 

Chin, a molecular engineering major focusing on quantum, worked on a project titled "Quantum Communications: Characterization of Entangled Photon Sources" as an intern this past summer. 

Learn more about his experience by reading the Q&A below. 

What stood out to you about the position as an applicant for your first internship with NASA?

I learned about the position just by looking through job websites when I saw it the summer before this one. I was really excited because the first year I applied here I applied last minute, so I didn’t think I was going to get it. I hadn’t even really realized how much NASA was doing in quantum then, but then I got the offer, and I was incredibly excited. Then I came here, and it was really cool.

What did your internship entail? 

This past summer I worked with the NASA quantum metrology laboratory. The goal was to characterize and further understand the technologies we need to actually create a space-based quantum network. Mainly what we’re interested in is entanglement sources. It’s basically crystals that you can send light through, and they produce entangled photons that can then be used to securely send information. I’m working on characterizing those.

One of the coolest things is just being on site here. There’s so many cool facilities here. It is nice to get in the lab and work on my project, but it’s also nice to be around the campus and see the cool facilities here.

What advice would you have for future students pursuing similar internships and/or careers?

My first advice is just to apply. Seeing the NASA name, you might be intimidated. You might not think about applying here, but there’s a lot of cool stuff here. There’s stuff you wouldn’t even expect to be here. I would recommend looking to see everything they have, then apply if anything interests you.