Foundation Programs
The Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP), as one of NASA’s Elementary and Secondary Education Programs, is providing opportunities in unique NASA learning experiences to teachers, students, administrators, and families. In so doing AESP connects America's space agency with K-12 education throughout the United States. On behalf of the AESP program the Foundation as administered the awarding and monitoring of a collection of exemplary, sustainable, pre-service or in-service educator, professional development courses based upon this curriculumas one of NASA’s Elementary and Secondary Education Programs, is providing opportunities in unique NASA learning experiences to teachers, students, administrators, and families. AESP’s professional development component serves the elementary and secondary education community by providing in-service training for teachers, pre-service training for university students, faculty workshops, classroom demonstrations, distance learning events, and identification of appropriate classroom resources.
The X-Hab Academic Innovation Competition is a university level competition designed to engage and retain students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. NASA will directly benefit from the competition by sponsoring the development of innovative habitat inflatable loft concepts from universities which may result in innovative ideas and solutions that could be applied to exploration habitats. The challenge is for a senior and graduate level design course in which students will design, manufacture, assemble, and test an inflatable loft that will be integrated onto an existing NASA built operational hard shell prototype.
Partnering with the NASA Science Mission Directorate Office of Education the Foundation administers the NASA International Year of Astronomy Student Ambassador Program which is designed to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to participate in NASA's IYA activities and to help generate excitement about NASA scientific discoveries in astrophysics, planetary science and solar physics within their local communities and beyond. These students will serve as role models to others in the community.
Partnering with the NASA Science Mission Directorate Office of Education the Foundation administers the NASA Space Science Student Ambassadors Program. Through this program, NASA is seeking to engage university students, both undergraduate and graduate students, to conduct activities that are designed to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to participate in NASA’s Space Science educational activities and to help generate excitement about NASA scientific discoveries in space science (astrophysics, planetary science and heliophysics). Students are encouraged to engage new audiences, partners, and members of underserved and/or underrepresented populations, including audiences with special needs.
This program is a part of a larger initiative endorsed by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) to address systems engineering at the university level. Significant involvement of university faculty in all aspects of NASA’s Systems Engineering Education Initiative gives the greatest opportunity for long-term curricular change. ESMD in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin developed an undergraduate systems engineering curriculum. The intent of this development effort was to use UT-Austin’s Department of Aerospace Engineering as a test bed for the systems engineering materials, particularly as a prerequisite to the required senior design class. Following the pilot instruction of the space systems engineering course at UT-Austin, the curriculum was made available to interested universities.
The Foundation provides programmatic support for the NASA/ESMD Space Grant Project. This project is designed to engage universities in the technology development being conducted by the NASA/ Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in their effort to creating a collection of new capabilities, supporting technologies and foundational research that enables sustained and affordable human and robotic exploration. This program includes student internships and NASA centers and NASA contractors, support of senior design projects related to ESMD technological development, student competition awards, faculty fellowships, university course development and faculty workshops.
In partnership with the National Council of Space Grant Directors the Foundation established the National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award to recognize individuals whose life and career have had a long lasting impact in a science, engineering or education field that is related to aeronautic, aviation, or space endeavors. Past award recipients have included former Senator and Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd M. Bentsen, distinguished scientist Dr. James A. Van Allen, entrepreneur Dr. Peter Diamandis and astronaut John Young.
In Partnership with Owens Software the Foundation is assisting Space Grant programs in adapting the Pathevo software that is designed to connect individuals with compatible engineering education and career pathways.
The principal objective of the Satellite Engineering for the Development of Puerto Rico’s Aerospace Workforce project is to bring together all engineering institutions in Puerto Rico to develop a fully functional student built satellite, including: the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, the Inter American University at Bayamon, and the Turabo University. The design and construction of a satellite requires collaboration from many engineers and scientists in different disciplines. This collaborative environment will be developed through this project. Each institution will a have a team of students led by a faculty mentor. Each team will design and develop an sub-component of the cube satellite. Members of each team will then work on the systems integration.
The Foundation also provides various services to support and enhance the Space Grant network. By enabling the network to work together in conducting some of its common tasks the NSGF is providing opportunities for each state based program to take advantage of economies of scale. These services are available to all Space Grant Consortia as well as to other programs that maintain direct partnerships with Space Grant Consortia.
The Space Systems Engineering was developed under contract with NASA/JSC to disseminate curriculum materials to interested faculty. The systems engineering materials were developed by personnel from NASA Headquarters / Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and piloted in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. The intent is for the curriculum to be transferable to other universities. The full systems engineering course, available here, was designed as a 3 credit hour prerequisite to the senior-level capstone spacecraft/mission design course.
In Memory of William Hiscock, the former director of the Montana Space Grant, the National Space Grant Foundation has established the William A Hiscock Space Grant Scholarship Fund.
Bill was known for his animated lectures on cosmology, including his own special course for entering freshman Physics majors, "From Quarks to the Cosmos". Bill also led a very active research group investigating topics in the quantum theory of gravity, space-based gravitational wave detection, relativistic fluid dynamics, and the application of elementary particle physics to relativistic astrophysics and cosmology.
Bill continued to be active as the MSGC Director during the past year, working from home, submitting proposals, and providing advice for the new Head of the Department. Bill was instrumental in the National Space Grant Student Satellite Program. He, along with others in the Space Grant family, led hands-on workshops to teach and train other faculty and students around the county. Through these efforts over 100 new student ballooning programs have been created, engaging thousands of students.
The Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program is an interactive on-line science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning experience, highlighted by a six-day residential summer academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Students selected to participate in the program are immersed in NASA-related research through interaction with scientists, engineers and technologists. The program is a partnership between the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and NASA Langley Research Center with assistance from the Virginia Department of Education. The Foundation administers the on-line course management system and the program web site as a subcontractor to the Virginia Space Grant