NASA Funds Nearly $900,000 in Planning Awards to Minority Serving Institutions
NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) announced the winners of the MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award. 15 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) will receive awards to contribute to research opportunities in preparation for larger funding programs such as NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) solicitation within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate’s University Leadership Initiative, and human performance research within NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.
MUREP invited MSIs to apply for funding to support research, professional development, and student experiences that contribute to NASA Mission Directorate priorities. MSI teams are supported with NASA expert guidance and resources, enabling MSIs to unlock their full potential and deliver technological innovations that contribute to NASA’s missions and benefit society.
The awarded MSIs and their partners are invited to meet with NASA researchers and MUREP representatives throughout the remainder of 2023. The meetings serve as training sessions to pursue future NASA opportunities. These trainings focus primarily on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, and providing insights into NASA’s research priorities to better prepare participants for future opportunities.
The winners are as follows:
- Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL
Creating a Storage Standard for Methane - California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Scenario Based XR Immersive Training Environment - California State University, Northridge
Glass Fiber Reinforcement in 3D Printed Concrete - Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu
LiqMEST-Liquid Metal Electric. Protective Textile - New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn
Geocrete for Fully Deployable In-situ Construction - Prairie View A & M University, Texas
High throughput, real-time, label-free cell assays - San Diego State University, San Diego, California (two selected projects)
Better Space Parties with Algae-Enriched Guacamole
Safety Verification with Data-driven Uncertainty - The University of Texas at Arlington
Multiscale Defect Analysis of Advanced Composites - The University of Texas at El Paso
3D Microfluidic Cardiac Model in Microgravity - The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg
Inflammation and Brain Health for Astronauts - The University of Texas at San Antonio
Impact of Repeated Loading on the Lunar Launch Pad - University of California, Irvine
Acoustic modeling & testing of interacting rotors - University of Central Florida, Orlando (three selected projects)
A CNS Digital Twin Framework for AAM
Multimodal Wireless Piezoelectric Microsensors
SUPERSAF-SAF for Low Emission Supersonic Transport - University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Development of Fire-retardant Polymers for NASA - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
Ranger: Multifunctional Intelligent Sensor System
To view the award and learn more about the awardees, visit www.NASAMPLAN.org
