The mission of the Minority Innovation Challenges Institute (MICI) is to create a virtual training ground where minority undergraduate students learn how to compete in NASA technical challenges for both prestige and significant cash prizes. This NASA funded program, which is managed by Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU), provides a year-round virtual conference platform where students from across the country can participate in free interactive educational sessions of their choosing. Many of the sessions will focus on competitions found within NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, which provides cash prizes ranging from $50,000 to $2 million to individuals/teams that can achieve specific technical accomplishments. Centennial Challenges is modeled after numerous historic exploration contests including the Orteig Prize won by Charles Lindbergh and the Ansari X Prize won by Burt Rutan. In addition to Centennial Challenges, students will also learn how to compete in other NASA sponsored competitions created specifically for Universities including: the Fundamental Aeronautics Student Competition for Colleges/Universities, The NASA University Student Launch Initiative, University Business Plan Contest for Engineering Technology, and the Great Moonbuggy Race. The goal of MICI is to use NASA technical competitions as a way inspire minority undergraduate students to pursue (a) an advanced degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and (b) a career in STEM related disciplines that will ultimately contribute to NASA’s future technological needs.
