WASHINGTON (NASA HQ PR) — NASA has selected hundreds of small businesses and dozens of research institutions to develop technology to help drive the future of space exploration, ranging from novel sensors and electronics to new types of software and cutting-edge materials. The newly awarded projects under the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program also include a high-power electric rocket and a coating to make solar panels more efficient that could be used both in space and here on Earth.

The collaboration between Starburst and NASA will engage minority serving institutions in advancing Earth science missions and the fight against climate change

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 23, 2022 (Starburst Accelerator PR) — Starburst, the world’s first and only global aerospace and defense accelerator, today announced it is engaging Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to bring ideas for developing new information technologies that could advance goals for addressing climate change. The newly launched MSI Space Accelerator will be an ongoing partnership between NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), its Minority University Research Education Project within the Office of STEM Engagement, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and Starburst Accelerator in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA and the Department of Education are collaborating to enhance the federal Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program using NASA entrepreneurial expertise.

Beginning in 2022, a NASA pitch competition for students at higher education institutions will officially become part of the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, part of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity. The competition will be a small-scale version of NASA’s Minority University Education and Research Program (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC).

NASA FACT SHEET
FY 2022 Budget Request
Office of STEM Engagement
($ Millions)

NASA makes investments in engaging students, educators, and educational institutions to: attract diverse groups of students to STEM through learning opportunities that spark interest and provide connections to NASA’s mission and work; create unique opportunities for a diverse set of students to contribute to NASA’s work; and build a diverse future STEM workforce. The Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) leads NASA’s STEM engagement function, providing strategic guidance and direction in partnership with the mission directorates.

In FY 2022, NASA will focus on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM by bolstering internships and other direct student opportunities, enhancing Next Gen STEM’s K-12 portfolio of student learning opportunities, and expanding partnerships and networks to magnify their reach and impact. The STEM Engagement Program is comprised of four projects: