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NASA Awards Minority-Serving Institutions to Grow Research Potential

NASA STEM Team

Aug 01, 2023
Article

Students and faculty at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) will grow their research and technology capabilities, collaborate with NASA on research projects, and contribute to the agency’s missions through a new funding opportunity made possible by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP).

Various images of students participating in STEM activities.

Students and faculty at 15 Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) will grow their research and technology capabilities, collaborate with NASA on research projects, and contribute to the agency’s missions through a new funding opportunity made possible by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP). The MUREP Partnership Annual Notification is providing nearly $900,000 to help selected MSIs develop new technologies for use in space exploration as well as in the commercial marketplace.

Through this award, MSIs will contribute to research in preparation for larger funding programs. These include NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) solicitation within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate’s University Leadership Initiative, and human performance research within NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.

“We work with innovators across the nation to build new capabilities for NASA missions and commercial applications, and MSIs are a crucial component of that landscape,” said Jenn Gustetic, director of early stage innovation and partnerships in STMD at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’re proud to help these institutions build their capacity to propose to future NASA opportunities.”

The agency invited MSIs to apply for funding to support research, professional development, and student experiences that contribute to NASA Mission Directorate priorities. MSI teams are supported with NASA expert guidance and resources, enabling the institutions to unlock their full potential and deliver technological innovations that contribute to NASA’s missions and benefit society. Nine of the awardees will partner with small businesses to prepare for upcoming STTR opportunities, which funds small business and university teams to develop aerospace technologies.

The awarded institutions and their partners will meet with NASA researchers and MUREP representatives throughout the remainder of 2023 for training sessions to pursue future NASA opportunities. These trainings focus primarily on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, and providing insights into NASA’s research priorities to better prepare participants for future opportunities.

Selected institutions and their projects are:

  • Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FloridaCreating a Storage Standard for Methane
  • California State Polytechnic University, PomonaScenario Based XR Immersive Training Environment
  • California State University, NorthridgeGlass Fiber Reinforcement in 3D Printed Concrete
  • Hawaii Pacific University, HonoluluLiqMEST-Liquid Metal Electric. Protective Textile
  • New York City College of Technology, BrooklynGeocrete for Fully Deployable In-situ Construction
  • Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas  High Throughput, Real-Time, Label-Free Cell Assays
  • San Diego State University,San Diego, California (two selected projects)Better Space Parties with Algae-Enriched GuacamoleSafety Verification with Data-driven Uncertainty
  • The University of Texas at ArlingtonMultiscale Defect Analysis of Advanced Composites
  • The University of Texas at El Paso3D Microfluidic Cardiac Model in Microgravity
  • The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, EdinburgInflammation and Brain Health for Astronauts
  • The University of Texas at San AntonioImpact of Repeated Loading on the Lunar Launch Pad
  • University of California, IrvineAcoustic modeling & testing of interacting rotors
  • University of Central Florida, Orlando (three selected projects)A CNS Digital Twin Framework for AAMMultimodal Wireless Piezoelectric MicrosensorsSUPERSAF-SAF for Low Emission Supersonic Transport
  • University of Nevada, Las VegasDevelopment of Fire-retardant Polymers for NASA
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, BlacksburgRanger: Multifunctional Intelligent Sensor System

Learn more about MPLAN and the awardees online.

MPLAN is funded by MUREP and STMD. MUREP is administered through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement and supports STEM training and development opportunities for students and faculty at MSIs. MUREP awards are established to strengthen and develop these institutions’ research capacity and infrastructure in areas of strategic importance and value to NASA’s mission and national priorities.