NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Harvard University presents NASA officials with a finalist award for the 2007 Innovations In American Government Award Competition. Image Credit: NASA SEMAA

On September 24, 2007, the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation presented NASA SEMAA with a Finalist Award for the 2007 Innovations in American Government Award Competition. With this award, NASA SEMAA was recognized as one of the eighteen most innovative government programs in the nation; placing SEMAA in the highest 2% of applicants from the federal, state and local governments.

As a finalist, NASA SEMAA has received national press attention (appearing in a USA Today article entitled "The Best and the Brightest") and a $10,000 grant to be directed towards the dissemination and replication of project innovations.

Of special significance is the fact that NASA SEMAA was the only educational initiative to be recognized as a 2007 Innovations in American Government Award finalist. NASA SEMAA's success in elevating the education of America's youth to this platform is profound; a platform that addressed such critical issues as fostering renewable energy, improving health care access, promoting affordable housing, and 14 other extraordinary and deserving innovations.

"These finalists offer tangible results that innovative leaders can improve public services to their citizens. When government officials focus on achieving results through innovative thinking, they show that government has the capacity to successfully tackle serious problems while creating efficiencies."
Dr. Stephen Goldsmith
Director of the Innovations in American Government Program, Harvard University