How to Appoint a Participant

The ORISE Research Participation Program at NASA is an educational and training program designed to provide recent graduates and university faculty opportunities to participate in project-specific NASA research.

NASA ORISE participants do not perform work in place of federal employees; nor are they considered to be NASA employees. Instead, NASA has established an interagency agreement with the Department of Energy that will permit ORAU to manage the appointments of participants in a NASA program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).  

All mission directorates and Centers may use the program to appoint participants at NASA facilities and approved research locations. Participants can include those holding a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD.

1. The NASA Center submits a "ORISE Selection Form" to provide the details of the appointment, including the elements of qualification that ORISE must receive from the appointee (résumé, transcripts, or letters of recommendation).  The Selection Form authorizes ORISE to extend the offer of appointment to the participant after we receive those elements.
2. Before ORISE can extend an offer of appointment, NASA must provide funding using an interagency agreement (NASA Form 523).  The U.S. Department of Energy must approve the interagency agreement and confirm to ORISE that the funding has arrived and is approved. 
3. Assuming that ORISE has received the required elements of qualification, including the résumé, transcript, and letters of recommendation that NASA specified, ORISE extends the offer of appointment. 
4. Once the person arrives at the research location or otherwise confirms that they have begun, ORISE confers the financial elements of the appointment that NASA elects for the program.

To learn more about SPP at ORISE, contact Helena Liuag at (865) 574-7719 or at Helena.Liuag@orau.org.