DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: June 30, 2011
MAXIMUM AMOUNT AVAILABLE: $5,000
ALLOWED USE OF FUNDS: Up to $1,000 may be used in the form of a stipend for a faculty member who is responsible for the project AND establishes at least a one credit course around this project. Plus, other expenses associated with entering including equipment, materials, travel expenses.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to Universities and Community College classified as a Minority Serving Institution by the US Department of Education. Schools that have participated in Lunabotics in the past are ineligible to apply for a grant.
APPLICATION FORM: DOWNLOAD NOW!
APPLICANT VIDEO CONFERENCE: May 11, 2011 at 3pm - REGISTER AT http://nasamiciconference.com , click “Presentations” , then click the Lunabotics presentation banner.
Watch the recording of the APPLICANT VIDEO CONFERENCE which was held on May 11, 2011. To learn how to register to view this recording view the video below.
2011 NASA Fall Internships and Scholarships
This session will also feature Erika Viramontes, Scholarship Program Manager for the Hispanic College Fund. She will be presenting on the different types of scholarships available, general tips for scholarships, and NASA scholarship opportunities.
The session will also allow for a question and answer period where you can ask questions, and obtain guidance for your individual situation. The short video below shows how you can enter MICI’s virtual conference lobby, and gain access to all the content on this subject, as well as many NASA University Challenge profiles and other NASA opportunities.
TO LEARN HOW TO REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION BY WATCHING THE VIDEO BELOW
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: May 31, 2011
MAXIMUM AMOUNT AVAILABLE: $5,000
ALLOWED USE OF FUNDS: Up to $1,000 may be used in the form of a stipend for a faculty member who is responsible for the project AND establishes at least a one credit course around this project. Plus, other expenses associated with entering including equipment, materials, travel expenses.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to Universities and Community College classified as a Minority Serving Institution by the US Department of Education. Schools that have participated in USLI during the last 5 years are ineligible to apply for a grant.
APPLICATION FORM: DOWNLOAD NOW
APPLICANT VIDEO CONFERENCE: Recording from April 6, 2011 - REGISTER AT http://nasamiciconference.com , click “Presentations” , then click the USLI presentation banner.
To learn how to register for the
RECORDING OF THE APPLICANT VIDEO CONFERENCE
from April 6, 2011, view the video below.
2011 NASA Summer Internships
To register with MICI, go to at http://NASAMICIconference.com
Reduced Gravity
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden recently announced that NASA is seeking undergraduate teams to participate in the 2011 NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity program. This initiative allows undergraduate students to fly aboard an airplane which achieves zero gravity. This program provides a unique academic experience for undergrads to successfully propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment. The overall experience includes scientific research, hands-on experimental design, test operations and educational/public outreach activities. The reduced gravity aircraft generally flies 30 parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico, allowing participants and their experiments to experience about 25 seconds of microgravity (0G) during each maneuver.
Administrator Bolden and NASA are seeking to increase the participation of Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges within this program. If you are a student or faculty who is interested in learning more please register at NASAMICIconference.com to learn details. By registering at this website, you will gain access to program information AND free webinars on:
12/14/10 at 3pm eastern and 1/12/11 at 3pm eastern.
Content can be accessed by taking the following steps:
1. VISIT http://NASAMICICONFERENCE.COM and select your user type
2. CLICK THE REGISTER BUTTON AND ENTER YOUR REGISTRATION DATA
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3. TEST YOUR COMPUTER and then START VIEWING CONTENT
A video about the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity can be located at the top of the “Presentations Page”. Live presentations will follow on 12/14/10 and 1/12/11.
4. ALSO, VISIT THE EXPO HALL TO GET MORE CONTENT
Click on the “EXPO HALL” link at the top of the page. Then, scroll to the right until you reach the Reduced Gravity booth OR simply select the booth from the pull down menu and select “GO”
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5. ENTER THE REDUCED GRAVITY BOOTH to view videos, download program documents, and get NASA contact info.
NASA MICI Welcomes Tom Joyner Listeners
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden appeared on radio’s famous Tom Joyner Morning Show. Administrator Bolden discussed the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity program which allows undergraduate students to fly aboard an airplane which achieves zero gravity. This program provides a unique academic experience for undergrads to successfully propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment. The overall experience includes scientific research, hands-on experimental design, test operations and educational/public outreach activities. The reduced gravity aircraft generally flies 30 parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico, allowing participants and their experiments to experience about 25 seconds of microgravity (0G) during each maneuver.
Administrator Bolden and NASA are seeking to increase the participation of Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges within this program. If you are a student or faculty who is interested in learning more please register at NASAMICIconference.com to learn details.
Content can be accessed by taking the following steps:
1. VISIT http://NASAMICICONFERENCE.COM and select your user type
2. CLICK THE REGISTER BUTTON AND ENTER YOUR REGISTRATION DATA
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. TEST YOUR COMPUTER and then START VIEWING CONTENT
A video about the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity can be located at the top of the “Presentations Page”. Live presentations will follow on 12/14/10 and 1/12/11.
4. ALSO, VISIT THE EXPO HALL TO GET MORE CONTENT
Click on the “EXPO HALL” link at the top of the page. Then, scroll to the right until you reach the Reduced Gravity booth OR simply select the booth from the pull down menu and select “GO”
…………………………………………………………………………………
5. ENTER THE REDUCED GRAVITY BOOTH to view videos, download program documents, and get NASA contact info.
In August, the Minority Innovation Challenges Institute (MICI) completed its month long presentations focused on the NASA Strong Tether Competition. This competition, sponsored by NASA, featured potential cash prizes totaling $2 million if competitors could achieve certain technological thresholds.
The month included presentations from: Ben Shelef (upper left) the contest organizer; Dr. Gilberto Brambilla, a competitor in the 2010 Competition; Dr. Mario Encinosa, a professor at Florida A&M who discussed the theory nanotube technology; and Dr. Kalayu Belay, a professor at Florida A&M who provided an advanced discussion of carbon nanotubes.
These presentations can be viewed for free by registering at http://www.NASAMICIconference.com
July heats up at MICI with NASA Lunabotics
In July, the NASA Minority Innovation Challenges Institute (MICI) concluded its Lunabotics Challenge Month. There was an opening presentation by the NASA Contest Organizer – Gloria Murphy (upper left); video interviews with 3 different student competitors including Rayna Thompson (center); a presentation with Kennedy Space Center Intern Laila Rahmatian (upper right), regarding soil mechanics; and a discussion with Rob Mueller (bottom left), the NASA Lunabotics technical advisor, and Paul Van Susante (bottom right) a NASA fellow from the Colorado School of Mines.
All of these presentations can be viewed by registering for MICI at http://NASAMICIconference.com
June NASA MICI Newsletter
TODAY
Remember that MICI will feature a live presentation today (6/9) at 3pm EDT. from Dr. Jayfus Doswell regarding how he organized the first HBCU team to compete in the Department of Defense’s DARPA Grand Challenges. This should be a great overview of “lessons learned” for those seeking to organize their own teams to compete in NASA’s technical challenges. Log-in at http://NASAMICIconference.com
LOOKING AHEAD
Each month, NASA MICI will profile a different NASA technical competition. Each month will open with a presentation from the contest organizer. Subsequent weeks during that same month will feature presentations from Subject Matter Experts who will teach students about the technologies involved in the specific competition. The monthly schedule is as follows:
June – Space Elevator Month
July – Lunabotics Month
August – TBD
September – University Student Launch Initiative Month (pending confirmation)
October – Great Moon Buggy Race Month
The remainder of the month of June includes the following presentations:
June 9 , 2010 at 3pm EDT – Organizing the first HBCU Team to compete in DARPA Grand Challenges – Dr. Jayfus Doswell
June 14, 2010 at 3pm EDT – Robotics and the Space Elevator – Dr. Antonio J. Soares
June 21, 2010 at 3pm EDT – Photovoltaics and the Space Elevator – Dr. Antonio J. Soares
June 28, 2010 at 3pm EDT – Lasers and the Space Elevator – Dr. Antonio J. Soares
LOOKING BACK (and you can still view it)
We had a great kick-off to NASA MICI on May 24, 2010. The content from this presentation as well as other presentations conducted thus far, is available for you to view at anytime on http://NASAMICIconference.com . Its available 24/7/365 to anyone who is registered in the system. Here is a recap of presentations thus far:
May 24 – MICI Kickoff Video –
This video was narrated by students Jabare Mitchell and Michelle Coutinho. It features comments from: Astronaut Winston Scott; Peter Homer – Winner of $450k in two NASA Astronaut Glove Challenges, Andy Petro – Manager NASA Centennial Challenges Program; Miguel Rodriguez – Deputy Director for Management, Engineering Directorate; Gina O’Shaughnessy – NASA Systems Engineer with Launch Service Program; Sasha Sims – Analysis Integration Lead for Constellation Project Office; and Hortense Burt – Acting Chief of Education at NASA KSC.
May 24 – NASA Kickoff Presentation with Q&A –
The MICI team explained how MICI was created, what it seeks to accomplish, what types of challenges will be profiled, and how students and faculty can participate. We also took live questions from the online audience. Speakers included: Dr. Clement Allen – Florida A&M; Theresa Martinez – NASA MUREP office; and Paul Secor – Secor Strategies (MICI coordinator).
May 25 – Interview with Anthony Gantt regarding NASA Lunabotics Competition –
Dr. Clement Allen interviews Anthony Gantt, a student at Florida A&M who was a member of the university’s Lunabotics team which competed at NASA Kennedy Space Center in May. The interview includes about 40 minutes of Q&A with the online audience.
June 1 – Presentation from Ben Shelef, Organizer of Space Elevator Competition –
Mr. Shelef discusses the scientific concepts behind the Space Elevator, past contest results, and how students can become involved in the 2011 competition worth $1.1 million.
GOOD STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW
Surveys
Each student that views a presentation in MICI will receive an email survey regarding that particular presentation. It is EXTREMELY important for students to complete these quick 5 minute surveys. MICI needs to measure the effectiveness of this program and then report the aggregated results to NASA. We would greatly appreciate your help in taking the time to provide us with your thoughts and opinions.
New Challenges on the Way?
Doug Comstock, Director of NASA Innovative Partnerships Program, recently tweeted: “Discussing technical objectives of next Centennial Challenge prize competitions at NASA HQ today, plan to announce 3 new competitions soon.” Three new competitions would be great news for students. When Centennial Challenges competitions are launched the technical thresholds are the lowest during first year. In years two and three, those thresholds increase and it becomes more difficult for newcomers to compete. So, this would be a chance for university teams to get on the ground floor. Please also remember that the Centennial Challenges have year 1 prizes that typically range from $50,000 to $500,000. So, there is definitely some good cash to be had.
Hit Us Up
MICI has established a Facebook Group at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=115530438470501&ref=ts
MICI can be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/NASAMICI
Calling All Tweeps
We are trying to build a twitter list of students, faculty, and friends of NASA MICI. Send us your twitter ID (example: @NASAMICI) and we will add it to our list so that it is another way for students and faculty to network by following this list. Please email your twitter ID to mary@nasamici.com
Chatter
MICI has set-up a chatroom for students and another one for faculty in the virtual MICI conference found http://NASAMICIconference.com . People have told us that when they go into a chat room there is seldom anyone else in the room. This challenge comes from the fact that people mill in and out of the conference at different times. We’ve had a request to set-up a specific day and time where students can engage in a group chat. This same idea could be implemented for a separate Faculty chat. The Chatroom allows for group text chat, one-on-one text chat, or one-on-one video chat. So this would be a great way for students and faculty to network and maybe even form a multi-university team for a competition. If you are a faculty member or student interested in helping to be one of the chatroom leaders please email us at mary@nasamici.com
Forget Your Password
Did you forget your password to access MICI? No problem … it happens to everyone. If you want to get your password, look back through your emails to find your confirmation email with subject “Student MICI Registration” or “MICI Faculty Registration”. Your password is contained within this email. If you cannot locate this email please email us at mary@nasamici.com and we will re-send it to you.
Faculty – Help spread the word
Faculty members: please let your students know that NASA MICI is a free resource that is available to them. There will be a number of NASA university technical competitions that will require teams to register during the start of the school year to compete later in those challenges (many of which take place during April-May). By getting students engaged in MICI now, you can better prepare them to form teams when the school year hits.
Remember the Blog/News Page
In addition to posting information in this newsletter. MICI posts short snippets of information on a regular basis on both its Blog and News page found at http://nasamici.com/blog and http://nasamici.com/news . Check out these pages to get the low-down on MICI on an ongoing basis.
In closing, we hope that you are enjoying MICI and taking advantage of all that it has to offer. If you have questions please email us at mary@nasamici.com or call us at 321-285- MICI (6424). Thanks!
NASA MICI Team
Photos from NASA MICI Kickoff
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