Project Plan

PURPOSE

Success in research demands that you be deeply involved in what you are doing, understand
its purpose, and take personal, intellectual responsibility for accomplishing your objectives.
The project plan is meant to familiarize you with the research you'll be doing at JPL and
encourage you to start a dialog with your mentor about your project objectives, as well as
plans and a timeline for achieving those objectives.

INSTRUCTIONS

Email your completed project plan to your program coordinator one week prior to your
arrival at JPL. Note: Project plans for Maximizing Student Potential (MSP) students are due
one week after arrival.

OUTLINE

 Objectives – Define the goals for your project. What do you aim to accomplish and
how? What is your starting point? What are your initial assumptions or the current
conditions? What are the criteria for project completion or success? What will a
successful outcome look like?
 Approach – Describe how you will achieve your objectives. What are the project
milestones? How long will each take? What are the possible challenges and how do
you plan to overcome them? What equipment or resources will you need? With whom
will you be collaborating? Will completion of your project depend on results from
other people in related projects?
 Project Schedule – List the key milestones for your project and when you plan to
complete them and inlcude a timeline for tasks that are necessary to achieve your
obectives.
 References – If applicable, include a list of papers or reports that you have consulted
to prepare your project plan. Also include remarks or suggestions from your mentor,
team members, or others related to your project.

FAQ

 How do I create a project plan if I have no experience or prior knowledge of the

subject?
Even if you have some experience in the subject matter of your internship or
fellowship, it's a good idea to reach out to your mentor before you arrive at JPL to
learn more about your project and its objectives. Ask your mentor about pertinent
research that might provide you with more background on the subject. Learn whether
there are tools or software you could practice using ahead of time. Also take this time
to get to know your mentor, their interests, and their mentorship style a little better.

Online research and speaking with others in the field are also great ways to gain
familiarity with your project.

 Who will read my project plan?

The people who will read your plan will include your mentor and/or co-mentor,
 technical reviewers for the program, and the program coordinator(s). The primary
beneficiary of the plan, however, will be you, because the process of writing it will
help you clarify your thinking about your project and its purpose.
 How long should the plan be and what should be included?
A carefully thought out and worded project plan of two to three pages should be
sufficient.

Concerning structure and content: Start out with the sections identified in the outline
above and answer the pertinent questions in each part. Once you have this material
developed, you can reorganize it so that it flows more logically.

Progress Reports

PURPOSE

For students and faculty in certain programs (check with your mentor to see if your program
requires progress reports), a progress report is due at the end of the third and seventh weeks
of the internship or fellowship. The purpose of these progress reports is to help you focus on
the goals of your project and check in on your progress toward those goals. Progress reports
also provide a framework for your final paper and presentation. A general outline for these
reports is below, however, mentors may have other suggestions and ideas for material that
should be incorporated.

INSTRUCTIONS

A progress report that has been approved and signed by your mentor (not your co-mentor) is
due at the end of the third and seventh weeks of your internship or fellowship. The
completed, signed progress reports should be emailed to your program coordinator.

OUTLINE

1st Progress Report

 Overview – Describe your project or research at JPL and how it fits in with the
laboratory's objectives. Include references.
 Approach – Define the approach you are using to achieve your research or project
goals.
 Progress – Discuss the progress you have made on your project and your goals for
the next month.
 Challenges – Mention any challenges you've encountered so far or anticipate, and
your plans for overcoming these challenges.
 Resources – List the resources or tools you will require to progress with your project
or research.

2nd Progress Report

 Methods – Detail the work you have done over the past month; describe your
experiments, progress on data analysis, and the like. Include exact technical
specifications, quantities and methods in chronological order if possible.
  Progress – Discuss the progress you have made toward your research or project
objectives. What observations have you made? Describe how your observations are
(or are not) in line with what you expected.
 Challenges – Describe any challenges or problems you've encountered. What was the
source of the problem and what have you done (or what are you doing) to solve the
problem?
 Revised Objectives – What are your goals for the remainder of the project? How
have these objectives changed since you started working on your project and why?

Final Presentation
PURPOSE

The final presentation serves as a capstone to your internship or fellowship experience by

providing you, your mentor and other stakeholders with a summary of your research or
project and your contribution to JPL. The presentation should concisely describe your role on
the project, the actions you took, and the results you produced. The presentation should also
demonstrate your technical understanding of the research area.

INSTRUCTIONS

The JPL Education Office will provide students and faculty, as well as their mentors, with
information on scheduling final presentations and other pertinent details as the final
presentation period nears.

OUTLINE

Presentations can generally follow the outline of the final report with modifications for time
and format. Be sure to include an acknowledgements slide.

FAQ

 Am I required to give a final presentation?

All students and faculty participating in JPL Education Office programs are required
to give a final presentation before their last day at JPL. If you aren't sure whether your
program is managed by the JPL Education Office, contact your program coordinator
or check with your mentor.
 How do I schedule my final presentation?
Your mentor or group supervisor will receive a reminder from the JPL Education
Office in the final weeks of your internship or fellowship with instructions on
scheduling final presentations. Note: It is the responsibility of you and your mentor to
organize and host your final presentation in accordance with closed presentation
requirements. Ensure that your mentor invites the Education Office
(finalpresentations@jpl.nasa.gov) via Outlook and includes your name in the subject
line.
 Who can I invite?
Due to export compliance policy, your final presentation must follow closed
presentation requirements. Check with your mentor or group supervisor before
inviting attendees other than those he or she has identified – even if they are JPL
employees, interns or fellows.
  How long should my final presentation be?
Each presentation should last for 15 minutes, followed by 2-3 minutes for questions
and answers.
 What equipment or software should I use for my presentation?
Powerpoint is recommended and JPL-branded templates are available, here. However,
you are welcome to use any presentation software that best fits your needs.

It's a good idea to check which equipment (including software and web browser
versions, video players, speakers, dongles, etc.) is available in the location where you
will be presenting. Depending on what's available, you may choose to bring your own
laptop and hook into the conference room system via dongle or bring a flash drive and
present from the resident computer.

 Can I share my presentation with my professors, university or others outside of

JPL?
Presentations that have not gone through the Unlimited Release System (URS),
cannot be released outside of JPL. If you would like to take your presentation with
you after your internship or share it with others, please work with your mentor to
submit the full presentation to URS after your final presentation at JPL. If you have
any questions, please contact Document Review Services at (818) 354-1141 or Janette
Beas at (818) 354-2492..

Final Report

PURPOSE

The final report is a chance to record and reflect on your internship or fellowship project,
examine the results of your research and identify opportunities to follow-up or extend your
research. The process closely resembles that of writing a scholarly paper, which is an
important component of scientific and even engineering practice.

INSTRUCTIONS

Email your final report to your program coordinator before your last day at JPL.

OUTLINE

Final reports should be clear, concise, and written for a broad scientific audience. Consult
with your mentor to determine an appropriate writing style and work with him or her to edit
your paper. Avoid using jargon or technical terms so that the paper can be understood by a
nonspecialist audience. You can place any technical information in the "Methods" section. It
may be helpful to have your peers in other disciplines read your paper to provide feedback
about clarity. There is no word-count requirement for final reports.

 Title
 Author
 Faculty Mentor (and co-mentor if applicable)
 Abstract – Provide a succinct outline of your research or project. For experimental
research, include the principal objective and scope of the project, describe the
methodology, summarize the results, and state the principal conclusions. For
 theoretical research, describe the issue and analysis, and state implications for further
research. The abstract should stand alone as a short description of your project.
 Main Text – This section should be accessible to readers in any discipline including
non-science fields and should include the following:
o Overview – Begin by providing background on your project, presenting the
nature and scope of the problem being investigated, and giving rationale for
the work.
o Results – Describe the results of your research or project with brief
descriptions of the methodology when necessary.
o Conclusions – Finish with a discussion of the conclusions of your research or
project.The implications of the research, relation to other work you've done,
and future research directions should be included in this section. Even though
this section may be technical, it should not be obtuse.
 Methods – As noted above, materials and methods may be described briefly in the
main text. However, lengthier and more technical descriptions belong in this section,
which should be subdivided by short headings referring to the technique being used or
the experiment being explained. This section is directed toward scientists in the
author's field.
 Figures – Include figures throughout the paper to illustrate your points. Explanatory
diagrams (pictures from textbooks are fine) may help clarify information. Carefully
choose your image sizes, font sizes, border widths, and labels to ensure that your
figures are clear and consistent. Plot theory and experiment on the same graph and
redraw screen photos. All figures should be accompanied by explanatory captions.
 References – You are responsible for the accuracy of your references. References
should be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text and should be listed at the
end of the paper. Reference numbers should be in superscript when cited in the text.
 Acknowledgements – Acknowledge your mentor and all other individuals who
provided technical assistance, and the individuals, organizations, grants, or contracts
from whom you received financial support. Students should be sure to include the
names of their financial sponsors.
 Appendices – Large data files, catalogs, tables, diagrams and archival information
may be included in this section at the end of the paper.

FAQ

 Can I share my final report with my professors, university or others outside of

JPL?
Reports that have not gone through the Unlimited Release System (URS), cannot be
released outside of JPL. If you would like to take your final report with you after your
internship or share it with others, please work with your mentor to submit the paper to
URS. If you have any questions, please contact Document Review Services at (818)
354-1141 or Janette Beas at (818) 354-2492.