MU-SPINMinority University-SPace Interdisciplinary NetworkMinority University-SPace Interdisciplinary Network

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

http://muspin.gsfc.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Introduction 1

The ICRE Concept 2

Institutes for Collaborative Research and Education (ICREs)

ICRE/Network Regional Training Site Partnership

Workshops

NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics

NASA’s Strategic Enterprises 4

Highlights from MU-SPIN’s Collaborations 5

Biological and Physical Research

Earth Science

Human Exploration and Development of Space

Space Science

Interdisciplinary

Acronyms 13

Introduction

To help train the next generation of NASA’sminority scientists and engineers, NASA createdthe Minority-University SPace InterdisciplinaryNetwork (MU-SPIN). MU-SPIN was started in1990 by NASA’s Office of Equal OpportunityPrograms and has remained a highly effectiveprogram as it has grown and evolved over thepast decade. The program was established toserve America’s Historically Black Colleges andUniversities (HBCUs) and Other Minority Univer-sities (OMUs). OMUs include Hispanic ServingInstitutes and Tribal Colleges and Universities.

The first step for MU-SPIN was to help provideschools and campuses with network infrastruc-ture. MU-SPIN recognized the need to provideaccess to the Internet—the world of electronicinformation exchange and the sharing of educa-tional resources. MU-SPIN helped minorityschools buy and even build their own computersfor the classroom.

In MU-SPIN’s next phase, the program estab-lished regional hubs to help extend its programto a larger minority community. To do this, NASAestablished Network Resources and Training Sites(NRTSs). With the NRTSs, the program expanded,targeting students from kindergarten throughcollege, faculty, administrators, and communitymembers.

With the infrastructure and regional hubs inplace, MU-SPIN established Expert Institutes.These institutes serve as focus areas to fosterscientific curriculum development and researchwith the goal of increasing participation inNASA-related sciences.

To further expand its reach, MU-SPIN created theInstitute for Collaborative Research and Educa-tion (ICRE) model. This approach facilitatesleadership by current MU-SPIN partners andencourages the involvement of new partners.

James Harrington,MU-SPIN Project Manager

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MU-SPIN’s NRTS/ICRE partnership focuses on:

• Continuing telecommunications technologysupport to the underserved

• Increasing NASA participation by facilitatingnew affiliations

• Delivering curriculum content through newactivities with NASA partners

• Improving project relevancy through new NRTSand ICRE activities

The ICRE ConceptMU-SPIN promotes NASA science and technology in minority schools through the Institutes forCollaborative Research and Education (ICREs) in cooperation with the Network Resources and Training Sites(NRTSs). Targeted workshops are a major component of MU-SPIN’s approach.

ICRE Model

MU-SPIN’s working ICRE model functions as avirtual institute by:

• Performing collaborative research in NASA-related activities

• Including a minimum of two HBCUs or OMUs• Assisting in coordination and providing content

to a minimum of two NRTS academic-yearworkshops on NASA collaborative science andtechnology

NRTS/ICRE Partnership

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WorkshopsMU-SPIN requires each NRTS to hold spring andfall workshops. These workshops range fromimplementing and using computer networking towriting competitive research proposals. Throughthe NRTS/ICRE partnership, funding requirementsare identified for new opportunities.

Each NRTS has a focus area in science or technol-ogy. The following multidisciplinary workshops inthe focus areas foster collaboration betweenpartners and increase participation in NASAprograms.

Campus Technology• Cabling• Routing• Addressing• Distance Learning

Education Methods• Innovation• Content

Education Technology• On-line Curriculum• Asynchronous Communications• Cache Servers• Digital Libraries

Proposal Development• Writing• Announcement Evaluation• Team Building

Science Curriculum Content• Data Access• Skills Development• Student Learning Styles• Data Visualization

Earth and Space Sciences Research• Science Themes and Objectives• Current NASA Missions• Announcement Evaluation• Latest Developments

NASA Opportunities for VisionaryAcademicsMorgan State University (MSU) and MU-SPINare partnering to support the MU-SPINschools that comprise over half of the nearly80 member institutions in the NASA Oppor-tunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA)program. NASA created NOVA to developand disseminate a national framework forenhancing literacy in science, mathematicsand technology for pre-service teachers inthe 21st century. NOVA invites the participa-tion of science, engineering, technology,mathematics, and education faculty who areconcerned with how universities preparenew teachers. Using the NASA mission,facilities, and resources, NOVA providesfaculty with enhanced knowledge and skillsto implement change in university courses.

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NOVA Workshop

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NASA’s Strategic EnterprisesNASA’s program, as outlined in the Agency’s Strategic Plan, comprises five strategic enterprises. Eachenterprise covers a major area of the Agency’s research and development efforts.

Aerospace Technology:To pioneer the identification, development, verifi-cation, transfer, application, and commercializationof high-payoff aeronautics and space transportationtechnologies.

Biological and Physical Research:To conduct basic and applied research to supporthuman exploration of space and to take advantageof the space environment as a laboratory forscientific, technological, and commercial research.

Earth Science:To use the unique vantage point of space to gaininformation about Earth’s environment that isobtainable in no other way. In concert with re-search and industry partners, the Enterprise isdeveloping the understanding needed to supportthe complex environmental policy and economicdecisions that lie ahead.

Human Exploration andDevelopment of Space:To open the space frontier by exploring, using, andenabling the development of space and to expandthe human experience into the far reaches ofspace.

Space Science:To solve mysteries of the universe, explore the solarsystem, discover planets around other stars, searchfor life beyond Earth from origins to destiny, chartthe evolution of the universe, and understand itsgalaxies, stars, planets, and life.

Biological andPhysical Research

Human Explorationand Developmentof Space

Space Science Aerospace TechnologyEarth Science

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Biological and PhysicalResearch

Astrobiology CollaborationTennessee State University (TSU) and other minor-ity universities are forming a collaboration toimprove research opportunities, education, andoutreach for minority institutions in astrobiology.The multidisciplinary nature of this importantscientific field is ideal for developing a collabora-tive group to encourage national and internationalpartnerships with minority institutions.

Drop Tower ExperimentsA drop tower facility was designed and developedat Florida International University (FIU) to allowfree fall to simulate the microgravity conditions ofspace. This will be used to test fluoropolymercombustion and thermodegradation.Fluoropolymers are widely used on board space-craft due to their excellent mechanical, electrical,and chemical-resistance properties. The goal is toprovide a scientific basis for spacecraft fire safetypolicy.

Microgravity CrystallizationUndergraduate minority students at Elizabeth CityState University (ECSU) are collaborating with

Hubble Space Mercury Landsat Earth’s Magnetic Fluid MotionTelescope Field under

Microgravity

By exposing minority students to actual NASAscience projects, MUSPIN engages them in scienceand mathematics and inspires them to pursueresearch careers in science and technology.

MU-SPIN approaches this in two ways. The first isby bringing NASA science into the classroom. Thesecond is by increasing opportunities for minoritystudents to participate in and contribute to NASAresearch. Both approaches offer students opportu-nities to experience the excitement of science andto develop the communication and writing skillsnecessary to succeed in their academic andprofessional careers.

Highlights from MU-SPIN CollaborationsMU-SPIN advances minority scholastic programs to benefit NASA’s mission.

NASAMission

TechnologiesData

Remote SensingExplorationEngineering

MinorityClassrooms

K-12Colleges

Universities

MU-SPINWorkshops

TrainingPartnershipsProposals

Amelia

researchers at the University of Alabama atBirmingham’s Center for Biophysical Sciences andEngineering to learn state-of-the-art biotechnologytechniques. Researchers at the Center are workingto find proteins that could be candidates forpotential drug treatments for stomach disordersranging from gastritis to gastric cancer.

This project is collaborating with NASA scientists tosend the proteins into space. The microgravityenvironment of space often yields larger and higherquality crystals than those grown under Earth’sgravity. Students will use x-ray crystallography tocompare the structure of the space and Earth growncrystals. This detailed structural knowledge couldthen lead to new drug development.

Earth Science

Amelia the Pigeon“The Adventures of Amelia the Pigeon” is the storyof a city and its history, as told from the point ofview of a wayward pigeon traversing the history ofland imaging. The adventure is based in New YorkCity because minority inner city students can easilyidentify with images that relate to life in a big city.

Students are introduced to Earthscience by interpreting

prominent features found inLandsat 7 satelliteimagery. Students learnto classify the shape,color, and texture of

objects, and to identifyland and water features. TSU,MSU, and City University ofNew York (CUNY) are collabo-rating on development andtesting.

The interactive website engages the students byusing a game-like environment. Animated graphicsillustrate the complex science concepts of remotesensing, while the addition of audio, video andanimation enables young readers to directlyexperience remote sensing science.

Earth System Science Education AllianceThe Institute for Global Environmental Strategiesand the Center for Educational Technology atWheeling Jesuit University have partnered to offeron-line graduate courses for K-12 Earth SystemScience curriculum. Master teachers and EarthSystem scientists mentor educators during the 16-week program.

Echo the BatScientists use Landsat imagery to help study andpreserve our Earth’s habitats. Preserving habitatsand the routes between them are important to thesurvival of migrating species such as the Big BrownBat. Bats play a critical role in the ecology of ourplanet, helping to control insects, pollinate flowersand disperse seeds.

“The Adventure of Echo the Bat” is a story about ababy bat migrating through the varied habitats ofArizona. It introduces remote sensing to ouryoungest future scientists. The book and relatedwebsite tell the story of Echo to grades K-4.

Landsat imagesof the fivehabitats Echotravels throughprovide abackdrop for theadventure.Children can liftflaps on many ofthe landsatimages to reveal the land feature photographunderneath, showing them the landscape as Echowould see it.

The accompanying web site has a set of activitiesto reinforce four basic themes or concepts funda-mental to the interpretation of satellite imagery-perspective, shape and pattern, color, and texture.

Geographic Information SystemsUniversity of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) partners withthe Center for Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensingat California State University-Los Angeles toconduct courses on the Geographic Information

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Echo

System (GIS). Thesecourses give studentresearchers access tostate-of the-art GISservices, from datacollection to databasedevelopment and analysis.The Hoopa Valley IndianReservation in northernCalifornia uses this projectto manage timber, savespotted owl habitats, andclean up pollution.

GLOBEMU-SPIN has partnered with the Global Learningand Observations to Benefit the Environment(GLOBE) program to bring science into minorityclassrooms. GLOBE is a highly successful, world-wide, interactive science program that offersstudents an opportunity to develop skills in soil,atmosphere, water, and ice sciences. To participatein GLOBE, teachers must attend a workshop tolearn the GLOBE science measurement protocolsand educa-tion activi-ties. To date,two jointworkshopshave beenheld, one atHowardUniversityand the otherat NorthernArizonaUniversity. Participating in these workshops canincrease the competitiveness of MU-SPIN minoritypartner institutions in Earth science education andresearch proposals. One MU-SPIN partner, StoneChild College, has already benefited from theseworkshops and won a NASA Education Award.

History of WinterHistory of Winter is a professional developmentprogram for high school teachers. Science teachersfrom Maine to West Virginia collaborate withNASA scientists to understand the annual history of

winter, which can be learned by studying the manydifferent types of snow and ice. A goal of theprogram is to prepare them to train other teachersin the scientific method.

The first critical step is to identify the snowflakeproperties of the east coast storms and discover thelatitude variation. One team, the Snowflake Team,collects snowflakes and identifies the types ofcrystal formations. This data is used to compare

atmosphericconditionsfor differentstorms anddescribe thetype of snowfor each ofthe storms.

Teachers onthe secondteam, theSnow and

Ice Team, spend a week at Lake Placid, New York,to expand the study by characterizing ground snowand lake ice. They attend lectures, collect icesamples from Cascade Lake, and snow samplesfrom a snow pit for their study.

Marine BiotechnologyStudents from Baltimore’s Southern High Schoolare participating in bioscience research withmicrobiologists from the Center of Marine biotech-nology, University of Maryland Baltimore Institute.Located at Baltimore’s Columbus Center, themicrobiologists interact with the students remotelythrough computers and internet access provided byMU-SPIN through MSU.

METropolitan NETworkTo support research and education in urbanscience, CUNY’s Weather Project created METNET(METropolitan NETwork), a MU-SPIN fundednetwork of weather stations at over 30 high schoolsand colleges in New York’s metropolitan area.METNET helps stimulate Earth science educationby providing students and teachers the opportunity

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Camping Out on Lake Placid

Northern Spotted Owl

Joint MU-SPIN/GLOBETribal College Workshop

to integrate weather research into the basic Earthscience curriculum. The project works in coopera-tion with the New York City Mayor’s Office forEmergency Management and the National WeatherService to study the microclimates of the New YorkCity metropolitan area.

Students are not the only ones benefiting from thisprogram. METNET students collected and graphedthe first highly detailed datasets on local weatherfeatures in the New York metropolitan area. Todayresearchers and others use the datasets in combina-tion with other standard weather data sources suchas surface and upper air maps, radar scans andsatellite imagesto study long-term weathertrends. Theproject includesinstallation andmaintenance ofweather stations,teacher-trainingworkshops, anda summerprogram for teachers and high school students.

METNET has recently installed webcams at thethree Native American schools that make up theMaine Indian Education School System. Thisaddition offers students the opportunity to expandtheir studies to include comparison of urban andrural weather data.

Ocean and Marine ScienceThe purpose of ECSU’s Ocean and Marine ScienceEducation and Research project is to encourageHBCU students to choose careers in these sciences.It is the intent of this project to develop an innova-tive and relevant research collaboration focused oncoastal, ocean, and marine research.

The project involves the design of an academicyear research project. Students have the opportuni-ties to do research in the following areas: Ad-vanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)Sea Surface Temperature (SST)/Sea Turtle Correla-tion, Phytoplankton Gear Comparison, and Fisher-

ies Stock Assessment. ECSU students are activelyinvolved in processing and analyzing the data andposting the results.

ECSU has acquired a SeaSpace TeraScan groundstation to gather data from satellites to assiststudents with research in ocean and marinescience.

Research Experience in Earth System ScienceNorfolk State University (NSU) and NASA LangleyResearch Center (LaRC) have partnered to offer asix-week undergraduate course in the visualizationand interpretation of satellite data. Known as theResearch Experience in Earth System Science(REESS), the program is available for science,mathematics, engineering, and technology under-graduate students.

Students are assigned to research projects inNASA’s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). Projectsinvestigate global atmospheric water vapor,atmospheric aerosol and ozone concentrations, theEarth Radiation Budget and computer programmingfor enhanced data visualization. The students doresearch work in NSU’s scientific visualizationlaboratories coupled with field trips to LaRC. Atthe end of the program, each student has anunderstanding of the Earth as a coupled system inwhich many interactions are critical to climatechange; understands satellite data manipulation,image processing, and interpretations; and iscapable of accessing satellite images via theInternet and making informed interpretations.

Science in BoliviaIn a remote part of the Bolivian lowlands, in anarea hundreds of kilometers from the closest town,NASA scientists have identified what they believe isa complex meteorite impact crater. Valuable toEarth science research, meteorite impact craterscan answer fundamental questions about the originof life on Earth, local and global climate change,and the biological and geological history of theEarth.

NASA is sponsoring a second expedition to thecrater for further investigation and research.

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METNET Students

Joining thisexpedition re-motely are a groupof MU-SPINmiddle and highschool teachers.As members of thehome researchteams, theteachers areassigned to a

particular scientist and perform tasks such as datacompilation, data analysis, and preliminary reportwriting. The science areas being investigated arevaried and include geophysical data, magnetism,biodiversity, cratering phenomenon, meteorology,and soils science. At the conclusion of their workon the project, the teachers are responsible forwriting an article on “the teacher as scientist” for ascience teacher magazine.

Wetlands ResearchIn 1975, ECSU acquired 639 acres of land in theGreat Dismal Swamp from the US Department ofHealth, Education and Welfare. Because theproperty is surrounded by a large buffer zone ofswamp, it is an unspoiled area well protected fromthe effects of human activities. The property isused by ECSU and other organizations to enableresearch of a pristine wetlands environment, aswell as to promote public awareness of the crucialrole played by wetlands in the coastal plain biome.Without the wetlands there would be no fishingindustry in Albemarle or Pamlico Sounds.

- ECSU’s Earth SystemScience Academy focuseson water quality andintegrates environmentaltopics into hands-onlearning activities thatcan be used in socialstudies, science, andmathematics studies. TheAcademy gives annualtours of the 1/2-mile-longboardwalk and observa-tion tower.

- Under the Mathematics of the Great DismalSwamp Project, ECSU professors use swampresearch to develop courses that incorporatewetlands applications. The project is sponsored byNASA’s ESE, ECSU, and MU-SPIN.

You be the Scientist with Satellite ImageryThe ECSU NRTS has targeted six middle schoolslocated in economic Empowerment Zone andEnterprise Communities (EZ/ECs) in Virginia andNorth Carolina for this student enrichment pro-gram. The program is designed to support extra-curricular Earth science activities, develop market-able skills in computer technology, and exposestudents to a variety of careers available in re-search, data analysis, applications, and computervisualization.

ECSU brings satellite imagery to these schools toenhance the study of mathematics and science byunderrepresented minority students. The program isdesigned to aggressively strengthen the currentEarth Systems Science (ESS) outreach to EZ/ECmiddle schools by the ECSU NRTS and NASAGoddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Human Exploration andDevelopment of Space

Canutillo Rocket ProgramThe Canutillo Rocket Program,through the NRTS at UTEP,targets middle school students.Modules include constructing asimple altitude tracker andbuilding water rockets tointroduce the principles of flightand launch technology. Anintroduction to space-programcareers explains the require-ments for entering science-related fields.

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Impact Crater

Great Dismal Swamp:Dying Trees

Canutillo Rocket

Space Science

Astronomy Program at TSUTSU supports research with faculty and students atthe NASA University Research Center for Auto-mated Space Science (CASS). MU-SPIN providesfunding and staff for technical support.

CASS operates and is expanding the FairbornObservatory located in the Patagonia Mountains ofsouthern Arizona. Because the Fairborn telescopesare completely automated, observations are moreflexible and cost less than non-automated systems.Because of this remote capability, a CASS re-searcher in Tennessee was able to use the tele-scopes at Fairborn to provide the first direct andindependent confirmation of the existence ofextrasolar planets in 1999.

As a result of its programs, TSU has reactivated itsastronomy curriculum and is now offering a minorin this discipline. These courses use NASA data andTSU’s interactive electronic network to supportresearch in astronomy and recruitment in technicalfields. To introduce its successful astronomyprogram to other minority schools, TSU hasdeveloped on-line streaming video courses.

CUNY Space Science AllianceCUNY colleges have formed an alliance to offer anew degree in space science. Educators fromCUNY, as well as educators from ECSU, SouthCarolina State University (SCSU), and HamptonUniversity have been team teaching these courses.Students may take courses at any of the CUNYcolleges towards this degree as well as a speciallydesigned course offered at the Hayden Planetariumthat introduces the Cosmos and targets the frontierof modern astrophysics.

Hubble Image Analysis WorkshopSCSU held its first annual Image Analysis Work-shop for Minority University Faculty on its campus.One of the workshop objectives is to providehands-on experience with astronomical imageanalysis and processing software applied toground-based and Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

imagery and spectra.The participants canthen return to theirhome institutions anduse the softwaretechniques forresearch projects inastrophysics orrelated fields. Thesecond objective is toexplore possible

collaborative research efforts with the intent ofcompleting a detailed outline and timeline forwriting and submitting a proposal to the SpaceTelescope Science Institute (STScI) for an archivalproject using HST data.

NASA Space Science ProjectsMU-SPIN will be conducting education andoutreach activities in collaboration with JohnsHopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory(JHU/APL) to support three NASA projects -MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment,GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER), Com-pact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer forMars (CRISM), and New Horizons. Projects forundergraduate students will highlight instrumenttechnology and science. In the mission years,projects will concern pre-launch activities andtesting, launch activities, and planetary science.

- MU-SPIN introduced its student intern programwith the MESSENGER mission. An exciting first forMU-SPIN, interns are working alongside the leadengineers for MESSENGER to prepare for itsupcoming 2004 launch. MESSENGER is intendedto answer key scientific questions about Mercury.Mercury, our least explored terrestrial planet, is keyto understanding the evolution of the inner solarsystem. The MUSPIN internship program will lastthroughout the mission, which is currently sched-uled to end in 2011.

- CRISM is an instrument on the Mars Reconnais-sance Orbiter, scheduled for launch in 2005.CRISM will search for mineral residue of water onthe Martian surface.

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Bubble Nebula

- New Horizons is a spacecraft destined for theedge of our solar system. It will make the firstreconnaissance of Pluto and Charon and then visitone or more Kuiper Belt Objects in the regionbeyond Neptune. The spacecraft will launch in2006, fly by Pluto and Charon as early as 2015,and pass the Kuiper Belt Objects by 2026. Sendinga spacecraft on this long journey will help answerbasic questions about these bodies’ surface proper-ties, geology, interior makeup, and atmospheres.

PVAMU’s Solar Observatory ProgramWith the acquisition of a telescope, Prairie ViewA&M University (PVAMU) was able to establish asolar physics program. Students learn to use solarobservation instrumentation and receive educationrelated to solar observation and research. Includedare the study of solar flares and prominences, andtheir relation tocoronal massejections. Datagathered fromthe studentstudies has beenarchived in asolar observa-tional datacenter.

There are three research components to theprogram. The first involves closely monitoring themost active solar regions for eruptions and flaringevents. The second is the long-term evolutionarystudy of active regions. The third is the study ofquiescent filaments, which are long, sheet-likeprominences nearly vertical to the solar surface.Students make solar observations from sunrise tosunset, 7 days a week.

PVAMU plans to conduct a summer workshop, adda class on solar observations, host programs forlocal school teachers, and train graduate students.A partnership is being formed with The Laboratoryfor Astronomy and Solar Physics at GSFC tofacilitate space-based research and student andfaculty fellowships.

Undergraduate Research Institute in AstrophysicsSCSU conducts an 8-week residential course inastrophysics. The goal of the program is to motivatestudents to choose careers in the space sciences.

An introduction to astronomy includes an overviewof the solar system; stellar, galactic, and extragalac-tic astronomy and cosmology; instrumentation; andthe HST.

Students process astronomical images using imageprocessing software. Additional experiencesinclude observing sessions under a dark sky usingtelescopes, hands-on use of charge couple devicesand computer interfaces, working sessions in theSCSU planetarium, and tours of observatories inArizona and New Mexico.

Virtual Telescopes in EducationTSU is collaborating on the Virtual Telescopes inEducation (VTIE ) project. VTIE is integratingtelescopes used in the NASA-sponsored TelescopesIn Education (TIE) project seamlessly into onevirtual observatory.

TIE has been successful in engaging the K-12education community in real-time, hands-on,interactive astronomy activities. Hundreds ofschools in the US, Australia, Canada, England, andJapan remotely control the 24-inch telescope at theMount Wilson Observatory from their classrooms.

VTIE will provide the services required to operatethis facility, including a scheduling service, toolsfor data manipulation, and an online proposalreview environment. TSU has been remotelycontrolling telescopes in Arizona for internationalastronomers for many years. They are also leadersin Quality of Service (QoS) technologies fortransmitting large astronomy datasets from tele-scope sites.

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PVAMU Telescope

12

Interdisciplinary

3T Mentor ProgramThe MSU NRTS implemented the National Techni-cal Association’s 3T Mentor Program - Technolo-gists mentoring Teachers and Targeted students. 3Thelps grades 4-12 students learn the skills neces-sary to pursue college and university courses inmathematics and science. 3T enables teachers toupdate their knowledge of disciplinary content,improve their science teaching skills, and interactwith scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.

Exploring MindsThe Exploring Minds program, formerly Explorersof the Universe, is a scientific literacy projectbased at TSU. It is designed to stimulate student

interest inEarth andspacesciencesfromelemen-tarythrough

post-secondary schools. Through the ExploringMinds program, scientists at TSU and GSFC teamwith students at high schools across the country toparticipate in NASA and National Science Founda-tion-sponsored research. One such program,known as the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)Education Program, is designed to involve studentsin the excitement of Mars exploration and toengage them in the scientific research process.

By utilizing the Exploring Minds web-basedresearch management tools, teachers, universityeducators, community members, and practicingscientists help students learn the science researchprocess. The program is being used as a pilot forcourses at TSU and is being tested with the Ameliathe Pigeon program with K-4 students in New YorkCity.

inetThe UTEP inet workshop has become an interna-tional event. It draws over 300 teachers from

around the world to learn web-based educationaltechnology. inet is a two-day conference for faculty,staff, and administration in K-12 and higher educa-tion who are interested in the integration of tech-nology into an educational environment.

NASA Lecture SeriesTo better prepare minority faculty and students toparticipate in NASA science, ECSU NRTS conductsa series of workshops called the NASA LectureSeries. The series brings the expertise and experi-ence of scientists to a wide audience using bothdistance learning and live webcasting by using aninnovative dual cast technology.

By bringing scientists and astronauts directly intothe schools, the workshops build student interest forcareers in NASA-related science, and encourageteachers to build science into their curricula. Aspecial feedback mechanism has been set up toenable webcast participants to ask questions duringthe lectures.

PVAMU Distance LearningUsing MU-SPIN funding, PVAMU built a state-of-the-art distance learning network. The networkallows PVAMU to deliver course materials to awider Texas-wide audience. This technologyfacilitates MU-SPIN to provide new curriculum tominority institutions.

Supercomputing ChallengeThe New Mexico High School SupercomputingChallenge uses the research tools of TSU’s Explor-ing Minds program to manage over 100 teamprojects. In the Challenge program, teams ofstudents and sponsoring teachers are paired withresearchers to define and work on supercomputerprojects.

Exploring Minds Logo

Acronyms

ALERT Augmented Learning Environmentand Renewable Teaching

AO Announcement of OpportunityAVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution

RadiometerCASS Center for Automated Space

ScienceCRISM Compact Reconnaissance Imaging

SpectrometerCUNY City University of New YorkECSU Elizabeth City State UniversityESE Earth Science EnterpriseESS Earth Systems ScienceEZ/EC Empowerment Zone and

Enterprise CommunityFAR Faculty Awards for ResearchFIU Florida International UniversityGIS Geographic Information SystemGLOBE Global Learning and Observations

to Benefit the EnvironmentGSFC Goddard Space Flight CenterHBCU Historically Black College and

UniversityHST Hubble Space TelescopeICRE Institute for Collaborative

Research and EducationJHU/APL Johns Hopkins University/Applied

Physics LaboratoryLaRC Langley Research CenterMESSENGER MErcury Surface, Space

ENvironment, GEochemistry andRanging

METNET METropolitan NETworkMOLA Mars Orbiter Laser AltimeterMSET Mathematics, Science, Engineering

and TechnologyMSU Morgan State UniversityMU-SPIN Minority University-SPace

Interdisciplinary NetworkNASA National Aeronautics and Space

AdministrationNOVA NASA Opportunities for Visionary

AcademicsNRA NASA Research Announcement

Brochure Production:James Harrington, MU-SPIN Project Manager;Carol Boquist, Malcolm Cannon, Lara Clemence,Judy Laue, Beverly Lee

Cover Design:Debbie McLean

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NRTS Network Resources and TrainingSite

NSIP NASA Student InvolvementProgram

NSU Norfolk State UniversityOMU Other Minority UniversityPAIR Partnership Awards for the

Integration of ResearchPVAMU Prairie View A&M UniversityQoS Quality of ServiceREESS Research Experience in Earth

System ScienceSCSU South Carolina State UniversitySST Sea Surface TemperatureSTAR Scientific Technical and Academic

Research Careers in MSETSTScI Space Telescope Science InstituteTIE Telescopes in EducationTSU Tennessee State UniversityURC University Research CentersUS United StatesUTEP University of Texas at El PasoVTIE Virtual Telescopes in Education

MU-SPIN Project OfficeNASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Code 933Greenbelt, MD 20771

301-286-3409http://muspin.gsfc.nasa.gov

August 2002

MU-SPINMinority University-SPace Interdisciplinary NetworkMinority University-SPace Interdisciplinary Network

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

Advancing Minority Scholastic

Programs to Benefit NASA's Mission

http://muspin.gsfc.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center