NASA Names Minority University Space Science Education Partners

Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Headquarters, Washington September 23, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

RELEASE: 03-302

NASA NAMES MINORITY UNIVERSITY SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION
PARTNERS

NASA announced today the 16 recipients of the 2003
Minority University College Education and Research
Partnership Initiative in Space Science (MUCERPI) award.

Dr. Clifford W. Houston, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator
for Education Programs, announced the winners at the Emerging
Leaders Youth Workshop in conjunction with the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Issues Conference at the
Washington Convention Center.

MUCERPI offers minority universities an opportunity to
develop academic programs and/or faculty and student
capabilities in space science through close partnerships with
major space science research groups. The capabilities
developed under this initiative may include research,
undergraduate or graduate courses or degree programs, pre-
college or public outreach programs, and/or teacher training
in space science.

"This initiative develops significant opportunities for
students in the K-12 environment and students at minority
institutions of higher learning to engage in space science
exploration and research," said Dr. Adena Williams Loston,
NASA Associate Administrator for Education. "This initiative
assists us in expanding the educational pipeline and future
workforce."

The 2003 MUCERPI awards include eight Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, five Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, two Tribal Colleges and Universities, and one
predominantly minority university. The awards are three-year
grants offering up to $275,000 per year. MUCERPI's period of
performance is January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2006.

"The success of this initiative comes from the willingness of
our leading space science researchers to participate as
active partners and to work seriously to help develop space
science capabilities at minority institutions," said Dr.
Edward J. Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for Space
Science.

The 2003 recipients of the MUCERPI award a

Alabama A&M University (Normal, Ala.); California State
University (Los Angeles); California State University (San
Bernardino, Calif.); Fisk University (Nashville, Tenn.);
Hampton University (Hampton, Va.); Medgar Evers College
(Brooklyn, N.Y.); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Va.);
North Carolina A&T University (Greensboro, N.C.); Salish
Kootenai College (Pablo, Mont.); South Carolina State
University (Orangeburg, S.C.); Southern University and A&M
College (Baton Rouge, La.); Southwestern Indian Polytechnic
Institute (Albuquerque, N.M.); the University of the District
of Columbia (Washington); University of Houston Downtown
(Houston); and University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, P.R.),
and University of Texas-El Paso (El Paso, Texas).

To access full abstracts about each MUCERPI award on the
Internet, visit:

http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_s/n...nt/NRA-03-OSS-
03/winners.html

For information about NASA Space Science programs on the
Internet, visit:

http://spacescience.nasa.gov

For information about NASA Education programs on the
Internet, visit:

http://education.nasa.gov/

For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


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