Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington        November 15, 2002
(Phone: 202/358-1761)

Patricia Johnson
University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
(Phone: 340/693-1057)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N02-073

NASA AWARENESS DAYS

     NASA will celebrate its partnership with the University 
of the Virgin Islands (UVI), and bring an awareness of space 
administration to the community, through the "NASA Awareness 
Days", November 17 to 20. 

The United Negro College Fund Special Programs is 
administering the "NASA Awareness Days" at UVI. It will 
include three days of exhibits, panel discussions, workshops 
and speeches by NASA astronauts on the St. Thomas and St. 
Croix campuses of UVI. 

The highlight event is the grand opening of the NASA Educator 
Resource Center at the Etelman House, home to UVI's space 
observatory, on St. Thomas. NASA has awarded grants to UVI's 
Science and Math Division for many years, with the most 
recent being a $150,000 grant to support the Saturday and 
Summer Science Academies on both campuses. "NASA Awareness 
Days" are common at institutions around the world, but this 
the first in the Virgin Islands.

Other highlights:

*  8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18: Press conference in the 
Sports & Fitness Center on the St. Thomas campus. 
*  9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18: Opening events in the 
Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas. NASA Astronaut 
Stephanie Wilson delivers keynote address. 
*  6:00 to 8: 00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19: Grand opening of the 
NASA Educator Resource Center at the Etelman House on Crown 
Mountain, St. Thomas. UVI's President Dr. LaVerne Ragster 
will preside. 
*  10:00 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20: Press conference 
in the Melvin Evans Center, Room 505 on the St. Croix Campus.
*  11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Wednesday, Nov. 20: NASA welcome 
in the Melvin Evans Center, Room 401.
For more information or to register for the events on the St. 
Thomas campus, call Dr. Hernandez-Badia at: 340-693-1383. For 
more information about the events on the St. Croix campus 
call Kichma Nieves at: 340-692-4150. 

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