Wednesday, October 20th, Drake State Community & Technical College will host a kick-off event to promote the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP).

MUREP is administered through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. Through MUREP, NASA provides financial assistance via competitive awards to learners who have historically been underrepresented and underserved in STEM careers.

As a multi-year grant, the goal of MUREP is to increase the number of racial and ethnic minorities and women in STEM-based careers. To this end, MUREP will provide financial assistance to over 120 secondary-school students, college students-interns, and secondary school science teachers in the form of summer STEM-based camps each year.

Students in grades 8-12 will be able to participate in summer STEM programs. Drake State will partner with the Moon Village Association to organize a STEM camp dedicated to engineering careers and Moon exploration for middle school students.

Within the Huntsville City School system, students from Columbia, Lee, and Jemison High Schools will learn about engineering and science careers.

With the goal of a creating a more diverse workforce, college students will have the opportunity to participate in summer research internship opportunities at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College (Southern University). The project also aligns with NASA’s research priorities as it focuses on space systems research including 3D printing for space habitation and lunar landing pad design and testing.

Area science teachers are also invited to participate in a summer teacher training program that focuses on STEM-related topics that have NASA applications.

This collaborative project between Drake State and NASA includes an impressive roster of partners in the Aerospace, defense, government, and non-profit industries, along with local school systems.

Industry partners include Blue Origin, Jacobs, Torch Technologies, ICON, Project XYZ, Soldier 1 Corporation, DEVCOM, AvMC, ManTech, NDIA SMDWG, Moon Village Association, National Space Club-HSV, and North Alabama Works.

College partners in the project include Drake State, Southern University, and MTSU. Schools in the Huntsville City, Madison County, and Madison City systems, in addition to HOPE Christian Academy, a home-school cooperative in North Alabama represent the secondary education partners.

All eligible individuals are encouraged to apply. Contact marina.kingsbury@drakestate.edu or call (256) 551-7285 for more information.