About

Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Aerospace Academy (MAA) is a national, innovative activity designed to increase participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented K-12 youth in STEM. Through cooperative agreement awards, MAA funding currently affords ten Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) the opportunity to develop exciting new avenues to inspire students in STEM fields. For current MAA locations, visit the Site Locations page.

MAA Scope

• Increase participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented K-12 youth in STEM.
• Create NASA-unique experiential learning opportunities and challenges that inspire and encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills required for our nation’s future STEM workforce.
• Develop a clear plan for engaging partners to increase scalability and replication of the MAA that results in sustainability of the activity beyond the initial three-year NASA funding.

MAA Specific Goal

• Use NASA’s unique resources to build the interest, skills and knowledge necessary for K-12 students to pursue STEM careers by engaging them in authentic STEM experiences built around NASA mission content.

MAA Objectives

• Increase the number of historically underserved and underrepresented students interested in NASA-specific STEM careers.
• Provide skills to parents and caregivers to work with and encourage their children in STEM activities and programs.
• Involve community groups, business, industry, museums, and educational and professional organizations through mentoring, field trips, guest speakers and other MAA activities.
• Engage students in first-hand experiences in STEM such as hands-on learning, research, use of advanced technology, peer support groups and mentoring relationships with professionals working in the STEM fields.

Main Programmatic Components of MAA

• Authentic STEM Experiences—NASA values the ability to offer hands-on experiential learning opportunities in which learners engage directly in science and engineering practices to enhance real-world STEM skills using content related to NASA missions and research.
• Technology-Rich Environments—NASA encourages the development of 21st century skills usage of digital technology, communication tools, and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others and perform practical tasks.
• Family Involvement—NASA recognizes the importance of family involvement as a vehicle to engage families as partners in the educational process by providing the tools needed to become more actively involved in their child’s day-to-day education.

Additional Components of MAA

• Equitable Access—MAA values the ability for students from all backgrounds and populations to have access to high quality STEM programming. MAA sites take steps to remove barriers for reaching populations typically underrepresented in STEM fields.
• Outreach—MAA sites conduct outreach or short duration activities within and surrounding their communities to illustrate the features of MAA to spark interest to the general public.
• Partnerships within STEM Ecosystems—MAA sites aim to increase partnerships within their local communities and greater STEM ecosystem, including industry, professional societies, K-12 and higher education institutions, faith-based organizations and, to broaden STEM exposure for all participants in their programming.
• Professional Development—MAA sites ensure that their educators and facilitators are trained on STEM content that is provided to participants by offering ongoing professional development opportunities.
• Evaluation—MAA awardees use reputable models and techniques of evaluation to document outcomes and demonstrate progress toward achieving goals and objectives. Evaluation methods also provide useful information on the effectiveness and impact of MAA while determining areas for programmatic improvement.

How to Apply

The NASA Research Announcement titled “Engagement Opportunities in NASA STEM or EONS” solicits education proposals in support of NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project. Awards are made through a competitive solicitation process that is coordinated through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) website and grants.gov.

For a list of planned solicitations, visit the EONS Grant Forecasting webpage.

For general inquiries, contact: Priscilla.A.Mobley@nasa.gov.

Applicant Resources

View the Latest Solicitation

NASA Contact

Gavin Custer, Activity Manager
MUREP Aerospace Academy (MAA) 
NASA’s Glenn Research Center 
21000 Brookpark Road, Mail Stop 7-4 
Cleveland, OH  44135 
Email:  gavin.t.custer@nasa.gov