Sonja Alexander September 23, 1999 Headquarters, Washington, DC (Phone: 202/358-1761) Barbara Hirst NACME, NY, NY (Phone: 212/279-2626) MEDIA ADVISORY: m99-196 NASA AND NACME INCREASE PARTNERSHIP NASA and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), will continue their collaborated efforts as NASA announced its increased investment in NACME by $342,550 or 30 percent in the second year of the NACME grant. This amount brings NASA's total year two investment in the next generation of scientists and engineers to almost $1.5 million. NACME is the largest private source of scholarships for underrepresented students in engineering and is recognized for program development, student training, faculty development, and fiscal and management policies. The NASA/NACME Partnership began with funding from NASA's Office of Equal Opportunity in August 1998. The initial award covered 22 institutions of higher education and included 94 scholars enrolled full-time in academic fields of interest to NASA. The selected science, engineering, and mathematics students will be supported--assuming satisfactory progress--for up to 4 years. Through NASA's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, the NASA Centers and the NASA Strategic Enterprises, the Agency will continue to provide opportunities for underrepresented students to become engaged in NASA research and development. -end-