NASA Awards Support STEM Research at Minority Serving Institutions

By NASA
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NASA has selected 23 minority-serving institutions to receive $1.2 million to grow their research and technology capabilities, collaborate on research projects, and contribute to the agency’s missions for the benefit of humanity.

Through NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award, selected institutions will receive up to $50,000 each for a six-month period to work directly on STEM projects with subject matter experts in NASA’s mission directorates.

“As NASA looks to inspire the next generation, the Artemis Generation, we are intentional in increasing access for all,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA senior advisor for engagement and equity. “It’s a daring task to return to the Moon then venture to Mars, but NASA is known to make the impossible possible. By funding partnerships such as MPLAN, and tapping into all pools of STEM resources, including MSIs, we are ensuring the future of our missions are in good hands.”

The awards will contribute to research opportunities in preparation for larger funding programs such as NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer solicitation, the Space Technology Research Grant Program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the University Leadership Initiative within the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the Human Research Program within NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.

“These awards will help unlock the full potential of students traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research and careers,” said Torry Johnson, deputy associate administrator of STEM Engagement Projects at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Through this award, universities receive support, resources, and guidance directly from NASA experts, which can be a game changer for the work they do to develop technological innovations that contribute to NASA missions and benefit all of humanity.”

The awardees are as follows:

Arizona State University

Drones for Contact-inclusive Planetary Exploration 

California State University-Dominguez Hills

Bioinspired Surface Design for Thermal Extremes 

California State University-Fresno

Human-Centric Digital Twins in NASA Space Missions 

California State University-Northridge

Repurposing Lander Parts into Geodesic Assemblies 

California State University, Monterey Bay

Crafting Biofuels via Molecular Insights 

CUNY New York City College of Technology

Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate for Seed Growth: Microgreens in Space 

Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana

Freshmen Access to CubeSat Education 

Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina

New Tech for Storm Tracking with Machine Learning 

Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia 

Sustained Approach for Energetic Lunar Operation 

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Information-Theoretic Multi-Robot Exploration 

Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Robot Leg Design for Lunar Exploration 

Regents of New Mexico State University

Extreme Aerodynamics Over Small Air Vehicles 

San Diego State University

Enhanced Aero-Composites: Reinforcement Innovation 

San Francisco State University

Early Non-invasive Diagnosis of Heart Diseases 

San Jose State University

Designing Resilient Battery System for Space 

Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

X-Ray 3D Printing of Nanocomposites for AME

Plant Antimicrobial in Space Exploration using AI

Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia

Non-contact Optical Sensor for Biomedicine 

The Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of City College, New York

Soft Tendril-inspired Robot for Space Exploration 

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Hydrodynamic Stability of Jets via Neural Networks

Low-SWaP Water Electrolyzer for Lunar/Martian In-Situ Resource Utilization 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Tuneable NanoEnergetic Microthruster Cartridges 

University of California, Irvine

Flexible Modular Robots for Extreme Access 

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Ultrasound methods for monitoring carcinogenesis 

University of New Mexico

All-climate and Ultrafast Aluminum Ion Batteries 

The awarded institutions and their partners are invited to meet with NASA researchers and MUREP representatives throughout the remainder of 2024. The meetings serve as training sessions to pursue future NASA opportunities. These trainings focus primarily on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, and providing insights into NASA’s research priorities to better prepare participants for future opportunities.

To learn more about MPLAN, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/49gsZ9X

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SOURCE NASA