Press Release

NASA Selects Minority University Teams for 2014 Microgravity Research Flights

By SpaceRef Editor
June 6, 2014
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NASA Selects Minority University Teams for 2014 Microgravity Research Flights

NASA has selected 13 undergraduate teams from minority-serving institutions across the United States to test their science experiments in microgravity conditions. The teams will travel on a Reduced Gravity Education Flight (RGEF) with NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) the week of July 7.

Each team designs, flies and evaluates a reduced-gravity experiment that aims to fill technology needs and knowledge gaps previously identified by NASA.  They will test their experiments aboard a specially modified aircraft able to simulate a reduced-gravity environment.  The aircraft flies approximately 30 sets of rollercoaster-like climbs and dives, producing periods of near weightlessness and hypergravity ranging from 0 to 2 g’s. 

“We are excited that our program provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for aspiring scientists and engineers to study and understand their craft. By participating in this innovative program, the students gain useful skills through collaborative planning and teamwork,” said Frank Prochaska, RGEF program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The 2014 MUREP teams are from Austin Community CollegeAustin, Texas; California State Polytechnic University, PomonaDallas County Community College District, DallasGadsden State Community College,Gadsden, AlabamaSan Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CaliforniaTexas Southern UniversityHouston;University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Robeson Community CollegePembroke, North Carolina;University of HoustonUniversity of MiamiCoral Gables, FloridaUniversity of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto RicoUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUniversity of Texas at El Paso; and,University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg.

MUREP is committed to the recruitment of underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to sustain a diverse workforce. Participation in NASA projects and research stimulates students to continue their studies at all levels of higher education and earn advanced degrees in these critical fields.

For more on MUREP, visit:
www.nasa.gov/education/murep   

For more on NASA’s RGEFP, visit:
http://reducedgravity.jsc.nasa.gov/

Follow RGEFP on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/NASA_RGEFP

 

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SpaceRef staff editor.