Whiz Kid of the Week: New Trier Senior Finalist for Nasa Internship

• Whiz Kid's Age: Senior in high school
  
• Whiz Kid's School: New Trier Township High School
  
  
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishments: “I want to be an aerospace engineer,” Olivia Armstrong said in a statement released by New Trier. “That’s been my dream since I was nine."
  
  During Summer 2010, Olivia Armstrong was selected as one of seven high school students from across a six-state region selected to participate in an eight-week internship with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Armstrong qualified for the summer gig  after being chosen for an online NASA program, Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience (INSPIRE). She worked remotely with a team of students across the country during her weekends and over winter beak last year to build a lunar habitat. 
  
  During the summer internship program, Armstrong spent her time helping design a database to categorize risks in the space program, shadowed aerospace engineers, met astronauts and toured private NASA jets. She recently learned she is a finalist for another NASA internship this summer before she heads to college.
  
  
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: “Olivia is one of our students who has taken full advantage of the [Career] program using the counseling services to identify her own strengths and then taken steps to explore her career interests resulting in a wonderful summer experience.” Susie Thorngren, Career Development Counselor in the Post High School Counseling Department, said in a statement. 
  
  
  

Know of a Whiz Kid? Send us your suggestion by telling us in the comments, or e-mail andrea.hart@patch.com for Wilmette/Kenilworth kids or saraf@patch.com for Winnetka/Glencoe/Northfield kids.