The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced it will be funding research projects - totaling about $18 million - at several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
The new investments at more than a dozen institutions will support research addressing three of the agency’s top priorities: understanding and monitoring global ocean health, returning humans to the Moon through the Artemis program, and helping build a more inclusive workforce. It will also give a big boost to STEM diversification.
The funding is part of the agency’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), administered through NASA's Office of STEM Engagement. The $18 million in competitive awards will enable the institutions to tackle some of NASA’s most pressing challenges while simultaneously increasing their own research capabilities so they become more competitive for future grants.
“NASA thrives on big goals and monumental challenges, and these demand the brightest minds from the broadest variety of backgrounds and experiences,” said Mike Kincaid, NASA’s associate administrator of STEM Engagement, in the agency’s press release. “We're reaching out to historically underrepresented and underserved communities and creating as many avenues as we can to bring them onboard, whether it's through awards such as these, NASA internships and fellowships, or other engagements.”
“MSIs bring their own, diverse viewpoint to answering the research questions NASA continues to seek,” added MUREP manager Torry Johnson. “By broadening participation, MUREP looks to expand the pool of institutions that engage in these critical science and technological discussions while at the same time introducing potential candidates that will aid in reimagining the future STEM workforce.”
In June, NASA awarded Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry (OCEAN) grants to 10 MSIs. The grants support NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in seeking a better understanding of the ocean’s role in the Earth system.
A total of more than $6.6 million will be distributed to the following institutions over the course of a three-year period of performance:
- Florida Atlantic University
- Northwest Indian College Foundation
- Texas State University
- University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez
- University of Alaska - Fairbanks
- University of California - Irvine
- University of California - Merced
- University of Hawaii - Hilo
- University of Massachusetts - Boston
- University of the Virgin Islands - Charlotte Amalie.
OCEAN funding supports NASA’s research into ocean health, primarily the impact of climate change on aquatic biology and ecosystems. The agency sought proposals that would either 1) develop remote sensing capabilities to analyze the impacts and vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems due to changing climate, or 2) improve our understanding of the carbon cycle in aquatic zones that are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes.
The MUREP Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR) awards support NASA’s Artemis program, which will send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon. M-STAR was created in partnership with the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate to promote STEM literacy and boost MSIs’ capabilities to compete in agency research required for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
In July, NASA awarded $3.5 million in M-STAR funding to these seven institutions:
Fayetteville State University
Florida International University
New Mexico State University
San Diego State University
University of Arizona
University of Central Florida.
This funding, nearly $3.5 million in total, is a follow-on to five M-STAR planning grants that were awarded to some of the above recipients in August 2020.
“Diversity is a key component of technology development,” said Jim Reuter, NASA associate administrator for space technology. “By investing in and working with MSIs that recruit and support communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM, the agency is accessing and utilizing new perspectives, skillsets, and solutions.”
MUREP INCLUDES Awards
Grants from the MUREP INCLUDES program build on the NSF INCLUDES (Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) model to help MSIs develop coalitions of institutions dedicated to broadening participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
NASA awarded six institutions nearly $7.2 million in MUREP INCLUDES grants that will be used to determine the methods that are most effective at increasing the number of diverse students pursuing engineering research. The six recipients were:
Alabama State University
Florida A&M University
J.F. Drake State Technical College
Navajo Technical College
Texas A&M Kingsville
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Small Business Technology Transfer Awards
MUREP-Small Business Technology Transfer Research planning grants are designed to help MSIs and small businesses compete in the agency’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Research solicitation. That program enables small businesses to partner with research institutions to develop their technological capabilities, with the possibility they can then commercialize their innovations and turn a profit.
The new M-STTR grants last four months and provide funding up to $50,000 to the universities. A total of more than $540,000 in planning grants was awarded to ten institutions for 11 different projects. The selected institutions will have four months to develop their STTR action plans. The complete list of recipients can be found here.
“Investments in MSIs allow NASA to tap into underutilized innovation and talent,” said Deputy Program Executive Gynelle Steele. “We’re hopeful that these planning grants will create the foundational partnerships needed to successfully compete for an STTR award and enhance the potential for long-term collaboration.”
Along with NASA’s Mission Equity, a new strategy involving the assessment of barriers in the agency that could undermine participation by underserved and underrepresented communities in its missions, these new funding opportunities represent another example of a stronger outreach by federal agencies to enhance the diversity of the STEM workforce.
NASA’s initiatives complement the recent decision by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to invest $50 million in five new NSF INCLUDES Alliances that will “enhance preparation, increase participation and ensure the inclusion of individuals from historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.”
Although African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Latinos constitute a bit more than 30% percent of the U.S. population, these groups - in addition to women, people from low-income backgrounds and those with disabilities - remain underrepresented in STEM careers.
Those are gaps that higher education and the private sector have been trying to close for years, and while there’s been some progress, the gaps remain stubbornly difficult to bridge. The NASA and NSF initiatives represent a significant - and needed - federal push to educate a more inclusive science and engineering workforce.