High school students from traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities will have a path to pursue careers in STEM with help from NASA. The agency announced Monday it has selected seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) to receive more than $3 million in funding to strengthen their support for students in those communities in precollege summer programs around the nation.

“As we explore the cosmos for the benefit of all humanity, NASA remains steady in its effort to lift as we soar. NASA is not only committed to inspiring the Artemis Generation – we’re working to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed,” 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.”

MUREP Precollege Summer Institute (PSIs) uses evidence-based strategies to enhance high school students’ precollege performance, prepare them for college entrance, and ultimately help them achieve success in their higher education pursuits and in science, technology, engineering, and math 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.”

The selected institutions and their proposed projects under NASA’s MUREP (Minority University Research and Education Project) are:

Albany State University, Georgia

ASU Accelerated Research Training Experience and Mentorship in STEM (ARTEMIS) 2.0 PSI Scholars Program

Albany State University (ASU) propose a two-week residential camp for students interested in pursuing a STEM-based career. Using the theme “Mission to Mars,” students will participate in NASA activities related to power generation and transmission; remote and autonomous vehicles and rocket propulsion; the geology of Earth and other planets; and the biology and chemistry of space travel. Students will become immersed in the expectations of life as a STEM student at ASU, gain useful knowledge about the campus, and build support networks to help ensure success in their life and in academics. ASU was awarded $425,000 for its proposal.

Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia

Artificial Intelligence Study in Earth Exploration Summer Academy

Clayton State University proposes to host a NASA-themed summer program for minority high school students. This program will provide eight-day summer residential STEM camp exposing participants to college life, NASA research, Earth data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Participants will gain an understanding of NASA’s missions and learn how to apply AI technology to solve real-world problems in Earth science. Clayton State University was awarded $425,000 for its proposal.

Fayetteville State University, North Carolina

Fayetteville State University’s NASA MUREP Precollege Summer Institute: Cutting-Edge Technologies for Examining Climate Change (FSU-CTECC)

Fayetteville State University (FSU) proposes two-week long residential summer STEM camps over the five-year period of the project. Each year, 20 high school students will be recruited from high schools in Cumberland County and its surrounding counties in North Carolina. Project partners include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and multiple academic organizations and industries to provide STEM workshops for the students. FSU was awarded $423,487 for its proposal.

Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri

Digital Agriculture, Data Science, and Robotics: Applied Research and Training for Enhancing Motivation in Science (DDR-ARTEMIS)

In collaboration with the University of Missouri, Lincoln University proposed two identical and intensive nine-day residential summer camps designed to offer keys for success for the participating students to advance their careers in STEM fields as undergraduate students and beyond. Each summer camp will accommodate 12 students for a total of 24 students each year. The educational program will provide hands-on experience for underrepresented minority students in digital agriculture, data science, and robotics to develop a broad understanding of STEM careers along with professional development activities and interaction with STEM professionals and entrepreneurs. Lincoln University was awarded $424,403 for its proposal.

Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Collaborative Interactive Data Science Academy

With the goal to stimulate curiosity in the cross-cutting field of data science and emerging technologies, Meharry Medical College proposed a discovery-based summer experience that implements virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality control of robotic systems using NASA geospatial and extra-terrestrial big data. This summer program will expose high school students to NASA research and data science tools; build statistical and critical thinking skills; and inspire the next generation of explorers, researchers, and data scientists. Meharry Medical College was awarded $418,448 for its proposal.

Tuskegee University, Alabama

Tuskegee’s Summer Institute for Increasing Diversity Among Incoming STEM Undergraduates

The focus of Tuskegee’s Summer Institute is to prepare students for college and retain students in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The project will equip prospective college students with basic skills necessary for success in college and close the STEM education gap for students from underserved communities. Tuskegee was awarded $424,939 for its proposal.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne

HAWKS MUREP Precollege Summer Institute (PSI)

The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES) proposes to establish a two-week residential program designed to increase the participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented high school students in STEM. Learning activities are aligned to NASA’s themes of space exploration, aeronautics, and Earth science. Students will have the opportunity to visit NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. UMES partnered with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility for mentoring, job shadowing, and involvement in real-life STEM projects, research, and activities. UMES was awarded $425,000 for its proposal.

University of The Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie

The NASA-UVI Pre-College Engineering Summer Institute

The focus of this proposal is to enroll a minimum of 20 students from the public high schools on St. Thomas and St. Croix in a one-week summer residential experience on-campus at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). Students will be exposed to the fundamentals of scientific and engineering methods, engage in discussions about career paths, develop relationships with STEM professionals in the U.S. Virgin Islands and NASA, and engage in professional development activities designed to help them prepare for a successful transition to college. UVI was awarded $424,998 for its proposal.

Administered by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, MUREP supports and invests in the research, academic, and technology capabilities of minority-serving institutions. Learn more:

https://stem.nasa.gov

Source: NASA

https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/

(Family Features) Most parents would agree the quality of their children’s education plays a key role in their overall development. While parents are optimistic about the future of education, they also recognize children have educational needs beyond what is considered the standard.

A Harris Poll survey on behalf of KinderCare found 83% of parents believe it’s important for children to be raised with social emotional skills, 84% believe it’s important children learn to treat others the way they want to be treated and 83% believe kindness should be a core value in the way children are educated. Now, parents want a focus on social emotional skills, mental health, kindness and understanding differences.

Consider these three ways parents can encourage social and emotional learning in their children:

1. Practice Emotional Literacy at Home: Disagreements among parents and siblings are almost inevitable at home. While this can seem challenging to handle, it can serve as an opportunity for children to practice emotional literacy by identifying their feelings and the feelings of others. It also gives children the opportunity to practice their listening skills and put themselves in the other person’s shoes. By using these skills, children can develop a stronger sense of empathy and understand how their emotions drive their actions.
    
2. Practice Mindfulness with a Relaxing Activity: Mindfulness can help children understand and regulate their emotions, especially when it becomes a regular habit. Parents can instill this habit in their kids by picking a set time to do activities in a calm space at home every day such as reading a book, listening to calm music or something as simple as deep breathing.
    
3. Provide Unplugged Opportunities to Connect with Other Children: Activities that don’t revolve around a screen and encourage in-person socialization with peers can provide opportunities for children to practice building their social emotional skills. Programs like KinderCare’s Champ Camp include indoor and outdoor group activities as well as field trips designed to help children use their natural creativity and curiosity to learn and develop important social skills.

To learn more about social emotional learning, visit kindercare.com.

SOURCE:
KinderCare

NASA is awarding more than $3.8 million to 21 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions for projects designed to bring the excitement of space science to communities across the nation and broaden student participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Projects were selected for NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program and TEAM II Community Anchor Awards. Both are funded through NASA’s Next Generation STEM (Next Gen STEM), which supports kindergarten to 12-grade students, caregivers, and formal and informal educators in engaging the Artemis Generation in the agency’s missions and discoveries. The selected projects will engage their communities in a wide variety of STEM topics, from aeronautics and Earth science to human space exploration.

TEAM II: NASA-Based Learning Opportunities

NASA’s vision for TEAM II is to enhance the capability of informal education institutions to host NASA-based learning activities while increasing the institutions’ capacity to use innovative tools and platforms to bring NASA resources to students. The agency has selected four institutions to receive approximately $3.2 million in cooperative agreements for projects they will implement during the next three years.

The selected institutions and their proposed projects are:

• Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Maryland
  Virtual Trips to Extreme Environments
• Michigan Science Center, Detroit, Michigan
  Urban Skies – Equitable Universe: Using Open Space to Empower Youth to Explore Their Solar System and Beyond
• Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts
  UNITED (Unveiling NASA’s Inspirational Tales of Exploration and Discovery)
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
  Using a Network of Ozone Bioindicator Gardens to Engage Communities on Air Quality and NASA’s TEMPO Mission

Community Anchors: Local Connections to NASA

The designation as a Community Anchor recognizes institutions as local hubs bringing NASA STEM and space science to students and families in traditionally underserved areas. The agency has selected 17 institutions to receive more than $660,000 in grants to help make these one- to two-year projects a reality, enhancing the local impact and strengthening their ability to build sustainable connections between their communities and NASA.

The selected institutions and their proposed projects are:

• St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New Orleans, Louisiana
  Communicating Our Future For Education Expansion (COFFEE)
• Frontiers of Flight Museum, Inc., Dallas, Texas
  Youth STEM Initiative – STEM Leaders in Education
• Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
  Our Earth From Above
• Pacific Science Center Foundation, Seattle, Washington
  Connecting Youth to the Journey of Human Space Flight
• National Space Science & Technology Institute, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  Mobile Earth + Space Observatory Science Experiences for Engaging Rural Students
• Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
  Because I’m Earth it: A NebrASkA Experience
• Pajarito Environmental Education Center, Los Alamos, New Mexico
  Exploring STEM Opportunities from New Mexico to the Solar System
• Scienceworks Hands-On Museum, Ashland, Oregon
  ScienceWorks Robotics in Space Program
• City of Manhattan, Kansas
  Flying Cleaner and Faster: Connecting Kansas Kids to the Future of Aviation
• Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky
  Afterschool NASA Production Club
• Utah State University, Logan, Utah
  4-H Moon to Mars Tetrathlon
• New York Hall of Science, Queens, New York
  Connecting Communities to Real Time Astronomy Phenomena: Solar Eclipse 2024
• Monterey Institute for Research In Astronomy, Marina, California
  MIRA la Luna: Igniting Interest in STEM for Middle School Students of the Salinas Valley
• Infinity Science Center, Inc., Pearlington, Mississippi
  Outreach STEM Education: Bringing NASA STEM Education to local communities through local county library systems and INFINITY Science Center
• Sierra Nevada Journeys, Reno, Nevada
  NASA Family STEM Nights
• Union Station Kansas City, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri
  Union Station Kansas City Inc NASA Team II Proposal
• Eugene Science Center Inc., Eugene, Oregon
  Sky’s The Limit: Access to Portable Planetarium Experiences for Rural and Title I Schools to Address Disparity in STEM Proficiency

Next Gen STEM is a project within NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, which develops unique resources and experiences to spark student interest in STEM and build a skilled and diverse next generation workforce. For the latest NASA STEM events, activities, and news, visit:

https://stem.nasa.gov

Source: NASA

https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/