US space science's $3 million lift-off for school STEM booster

The agency said it had selected seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) for the project, under the auspices of NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP).

Said NASA’s Senior Advisor for Engagement and Equity Shahra Lambert: “This funding will help open doors of opportunity for high school students across the country to help prepare and empower them for the future.”

Selected institutions had submitted proposed projects to MUREP, whose Precollege Summer Institute uses evidence-based strategies to boost precollege performance for college entrance in order they can pursue science, technology, engineering and maths study careers.

“This project gives students an opportunity to experience what it’s like to live on a college campus, attend classes, and build relationships with professors and like-minded peers,” said Torry Johnson, MUREP project manager.

“What makes this program special is that it’s tied to NASA research. Students will be participating in engineering design challenges and research related to NASA missions with support from NASA subject matter experts.”

Of the institutions chosen, six are based in five Southern states, including two in Georgia. A further college is in the north east while the final one is in the US Virgin islands, an American Caribbean territory since its acquisition from Denmark in 1917.

The full list of colleges includes:

Albany State University, Georgia

Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia

Fayetteville State University, North Carolina

Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri

Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Tuskegee University, Alabama

University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne

University of The Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie

PIC: MUREP PSI students constructing a drone during Fayetteville State University’s 2022 summer residential experience (NASA)