HR: 16:15h
AN: ED44A-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: NASA Space Science Partnerships with Minority Universities
AU: * Sakimoto, P J
EM: philip.j.sakimoto@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546 United States
AU: Rosendhal, J D
AF: NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546 United States
AB: Over the past five years NASA has carried out a deliberate and highly successful effort to engage Minority Institutions (MI) in space science activities. Implemented through a uniquely designed grants program now known as the "NASA Minority University and College Education and Research Partnership Initiative (MUCERPI) in Space Science," an impressive array of space science research and educational activities has been developed at 15 MI's over the three-year period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003. This effort began with the recognition that very few MI's had programs in space science. To address this deficiency, the NASA Office of Space Science (OSS), in cooperation with the NASA Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (OEOP), carried out a series of consultations with MI faculty and administrators aimed at ascertaining the level of interest that MI's had in space science and at identifying the most effective strategies for developing space science capabilities on their campuses. The clear conclusion was that MI's were extremely interested in participating in space science, but that they had not been given a real opportunity to do so. The overwhelming consensus was that a successful program to engage MI's in space science would require: 1) a serious invitation from OSS to become involved in space science, 2) the flexibility to devise projects that fit the local environment on each participating campus, and 3) the opportunity to form partnerships with leading researchers in the space science community. As a result, a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) emphasizing these and other factors was developed and issued in January 2000. Some of its more unique features were that: 1) it was issued by OSS with funding provided by OEOP; 2) it invited MI's to develop any combination of research capabilities, academic programs (at any level), and/or public outreach in space science; and 3) it required working partnerships with NASA-sponsored space science researchers for any research capability development projects. At the same time, OSS began a campaign to make its entire community of researchers aware of this new NRA and to encourage them to participate as partners. This campaign deliberately targeted space scientists funded by OSS at universities and research facilities, as well as at NASA Centers. Some 60 proposals received, from which 15 minority institutions, including six Historically Black Colleges or Universities, three Hispanic Serving Institutions, three Tribal Colleges, and three minority-predominant institutions were selected for 3-year awards of up to $250,000 per year. The outcomes reported by the grantees at the end of their three-year period of performance are impressive. Collectively, the grantees engaged in research collaborations with 10 NASA space science missions or suborbital projects and in more than 50 working partnerships with major space science research groups. In academic programs, they established 25 new or redirected space science faculty positions, 12 new or revised space science degree programs, and 68 new or revised space science courses with a total enrollment of nearly 1,800 students. They also engaged in a wide variety of teacher training, precollege outreach, and public outreach programs. From these results, it is clear that vibrant academic and research programs in space science can be built at MI's provided that sponsoring Agencies offer serious opportunities to do so. The sponsoring Agencies need to play an active role in providing guidance and in engaging their usual cadre of researchers to serve as active partners in collaborations with interested MI's. Merely acting as a passive provider of funds is not enough to make a significant difference.
UR: http://ossim.hq.nasa.gov/ossepo/
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting