NASA Taps 10 Informal Learning Institutions for Collaboration Grants
*
NASA has selected proposals from informal education institutions in 10 states
to further its goal of attracting more students to careers in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). They will share approximately
$7.7 million in grants through NASA’s Competitive Program for Science
Museums, Planetariums and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities
(CP4SMPVC).
The organizations are located across the U.S. and include six museums and
four NASA visitor centers. They will create interactive exhibits, virtual
worlds, professional development activities, and community-based programs to
engage students, teachers and the public in STEM. The selected projects have
performance periods from one to five years and range in value from
approximately $500,000 to $1 million. Final funding is contingent upon NASA's
approval of each organization's final business plan.
"Informal education providers play a key role in NASA Education's effort to
make interactive STEM experiences available to students and the general
public," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education in
Washington. "Using compelling NASA content, they create fun, hands-on
learning activities that help us stimulate greater interest in STEM.
Increasing STEM literacy in students today is crucial to having the talent
NASA will require for future missions of science and discovery."
The 2013 selected organizations are:
-- U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Ala.
-- AERO Institute, Palmdale, Calif.
-- Miami Science Museum
-- Children's Museum of Indianapolis
-- Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul
-- St. Louis Science Center
-- Science South Inc., Florence, S.C.
-- Space Center Houston Project
-- Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Va.
-- Pacific Science Center Foundation, Seattle
Projects selected in this year's program will produce NASA-inspired
educational opportunities to increase awareness of and engagement in the
agency's space exploration achievements and how these benefit life on Earth,
as well as educational pathways to careers in space exploration and other
STEM fields. Students of all ages and educators who deliver formal or
informal STEM education will learn about NASA's missions in human space
exploration, aeronautics, astronomy, robotics, Mars exploration, and remote
sensing.
The selected organizations will collaborate with NASA's Museum Alliance, a
nationwide network of informal education professionals at 575 science
museums, planetariums, NASA visitor centers, Challenger Centers, visitor
centers at observatories and parks, nature centers, aquariums and zoos.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., manages the
Museum Alliance for the agency.
Sixty-seven proposals from institutions in 31 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico, underwent a merit-based peer review process. NASA's
Office of Education, agency mission directorates and support offices, and JPL
solicited and reviewed the grant applications.
For more information about this year's CP4SMPVC winners, including project
descriptions, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/18U8PAOFor information about the Museum Alliance, visit:
http://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museumFor information about NASA's education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
