NASA Awards $2.3 Million in Grants to Minority Serving Institutions to Expand STEM Education
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Minority University Research and Education Program (MUREP) Aerospace Academy (MAA) has selected seven Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) for cooperative agreement awards totaling nearly $2.3 million. The grants will be used to build the interest, skills and knowledge necessary for K-12 students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
These selections will increase the participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented youth in grades K-12 through hands-on STEM activities. Awardees will receive up to $325,000 for a two-year period.
The selected institutions are:
-- Albany State University, Georgia: Albany State University will advance
excellence in out-of-school learning time for underrepresented and
underserved students in grades 6-12. Specific strategies include
professional development for teachers and the development of a
project-based STEM curriculum that focuses on NASA mission themes of
Aeronautics and Mars exploration. This project will include the infusion
of space science and engineering, physics, mathematics, biology,
chemistry, computer programming, artificial intelligence and machine
learning into middle and high school curricula, affecting 1,600 middle
and high schools in the region.
-- California State University, Fresno: California State University,
Fresno, will focus on increasing STEM interest, engagement, literacy and
skills among approximately 3,000 underserved students in grades 1-12.
The university will partner with various organizations to conduct an
evaluation and lay the groundwork for STEM engagement throughout
California, and Fresno State student teachers will integrate NASA-themed
experiential learning opportunities into expanded learning programs for
afterschool, Saturday and summer activities. Their efforts also will
focus on activities that increase STEM awareness among parents of
students and will link families to STEM resources. The program will
incorporate NASA resources, such NASA Smartphone Apps, NASA Wavelength
(a site for Earth and space education), and materials available through
the university's NASA Educator Resource Center.
-- Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina: Elizabeth City State
University (ECSU) will conduct a comprehensive outreach program for K-12
education in rural northeastern North Carolina. ECSU will adopt a
grade-appropriate NASA curriculum to enhance authentic and experiential
learning experiences through the integration of 3D printing technology,
virtual reality simulation, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design, mobile
robotics, computer programming, and sensor-based measurement systems.
The project will extend learning to local school districts through the
use of a state-of-the-art mobile aerospace education lab. The hands-on
activities will inspire and engage students in problem-based learning
and scientific inquiry. This collaborative project is expected to
directly impact at least 1,450 students.
-- Navajo Technical College, Crownpoint, New Mexico: Navajo Technical
University (NTU) proposes to develop a robotics academy in partnership
with the newly established Bond Wilson Center for Technologies in
Kirtland, New Mexico. This new partnership provides high school students
from tribal reservation communities advanced classes in aerospace
manufacturing, unmanned aircraft systems, conceptual design and
planning, and employee skills development. The NTU robotics academy will
provide students with a stimulating environment to unleash their
curiosity and creativity in information technology and STEM. NTU will
partner with Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute's training
faculty and interns at their year-round robotics center to leverage
existing NASA projects. The university also will develop an experiential
learning robotics syllabus that is respectful to traditional Navajo
culture and transportable to other tribal serving institutions.
-- Tennessee State University, Nashville: Tennessee State University (TSU)
will create a STEM curriculum based on three thematic modules, each
containing problem-based learning methods enriched with hands-on
instructional strategies. This program will capitalize on the NASA
Aerospace Education Laboratory, which provides a flight simulator,
inflatable planetarium, drones, robotics, Ozmo Coding, immersive virtual
reality technology, and a computer lab with NASA software. The project
will expand its reach by increasing capacity through a strategic
partnership with elementary and middle schools from the Metropolitan
Nashville Public School District.
-- Texas State University, San Marcos: Texas State University, San Marcos,
will offer early STEM learning experiences for upper elementary and
middle school students, family engagement, and professional development
for teachers in central Texas. The university will offer students and
families resources in both English and Spanish, and instructional
strategies that value the culture and multilingual skills of the
majority of participants. The university will offer a STEM professional
development program to teachers in the local school district, who will
serve as program instructors. In addition, they will measure the
program's impact on participating students and teachers.
-- The University of Texas at El Paso: The University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP) will expand its reach to severely underserved areas of El Paso
County by forming a collaborative alliance with the United Way and
Lockheed Martin Space Systems. This alliance will implement three new
dedicated tracks of study to empower young thinkers to explore research,
experimentation, and the engineering design process that will culminate
in a capstone project.
MUREP investments enhance the academic, research and technological capabilities of MSIs through multiyear grants. The MUREP Aerospace Academy provides opportunities for participatory and experiential learning activities in formal and informal education settings to connect learners to unique NASA resources.
NASA provides financial assistance to minority serving institutions with MUREP's competitive awards. These institutions recruit and retain underrepresented and underserved students, including women, girls, veterans and persons with disabilities, into STEM fields.
For additional information on the MAA awards, visit:
For information about NASA's education programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/education
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SOURCE NASA
