NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center invests heavily in local education
Being adjacent to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center presents many educational advantages for students in Huntsville and the surrounding area.
Marshall Center Director Joseph Pelfrey said Marshall considers the role of schools and educators crucial to inspiring and equipping students in STEM.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“With their help, NASA can empower students to become part of the Artemis Generation – the next generation of scientists, engineers, and business professionals we need to continue NASA’s space exploration goals in the future,” said Pelfrey.
In 2023 Marshall signed a Partner in Education Agreement with the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE). ASCTE is the nation’s only high school focused on the integration of cyber technology and engineering into all academic disciplines.
As part of this partnership, Marshall provides speakers, materials, facility tours, mentorship, and other support to the school.
Marshall is intentional about pursuing partnerships with community colleges and minority-serving institutions, such as historically black colleges and universities.
Marshall and Alabama A&M University (AAMU) have partnered on a number of Space Act Agreements, which allow research sponsors to use NASA resources to the benefit of both parties.
AAMU and Marshall are currently partnering to develop new space propellant and test uses for modal magnification software.
In May 2023, Marshall also signed a Student Volunteer Agreement to work with AAMU engineering students to provide real-world skill development.
Marshall partners with Drake State Community & Technical College through the Frontiers Research Program. Students selected for this program work on constructing potential Moon habitats.
Calhoun Community College established the Alabama Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence program in 2011. In 2015, they consulted with Marshall and others to learn about workforce needs and revamp the program.
With Marshall’s help the program grew, acquiring additional space and allocating some of it to collaborative labs and classrooms.
Marshall has also worked extensively with the University of Alabama in Huntsville through numerous Space Act Agreements.
“Marshall is proud to partner with schools, colleges, and universities across the state of Alabama to ensure all students have access to the best STEM education and experiences. This will enable them to join our workforce and contribute to science and technology development that moves humanity forward,” said Pelfrey.
In addition to direct partnerships with area schools, Marshall leads a number of NASA’s student challenges.
Artemis Student Challenges are engineering and technological design challenges focused on technologies involved in human spaceflight.
NASA’s Student Launch encourages students to provide relevant, cost-effective research and development of rocket propulsion systems.
In 2024, more than 70 teams participated from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Held at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, this challenge included students in grades 6 through 12 and college.
Student Launch will celebrate 25 years in 2025. There are 71 teams selected to compete, including three Alabama teams.
The Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) has student teams design, develop, build, and test human-powered rovers capable of traversing challenging terrain. Teams must also create a task tool to complete various mission tasks.
In 2024, HERC celebrated its 30th year, with 72 teams participating from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations.
In 2025, 75 teams have been selected to compete, including four Alabama teams.
Centennial Challenges directly engages the public in the process of advanced technology development, offering incentive prizes to generate revolutionary solutions to problems of interest to NASA and the nation.
The program seeks innovations from diverse and non-traditional sources.
The NASA Break the Ice Lunar Challenge in 2024 was the first time that Huntsville hosted a Centennial Challenges event.
Marshall also presents internship opportunities to students.
Pathways internships provide college students and recent graduates paid internships that can potentially offer a direct pipeline to full-time employment with NASA.
Office of STEM Engagement paid internships allow high school and college students to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor.
Marshall also boosts STEM education through free resources for teachers and students.
NASA Engages is composed of NASA experts who share NASA missions and content at educational, professional, civic, and other public venues.
Audiences include schools, libraries, museums, youth organizations, professional and technical organizations, community groups, and non-profit organizations.
NASA CONNECTS is an online platform used to connect educators to NASA content, resources, and opportunities enabling collaboration among fellow educators and NASA team members.
NASA SPARX is geared towards grades K through 12. Students gain real-world experiences in STEM through engineering design challenges.
NASA in the Park is a beloved local educational event open to the public. An estimated 14,000 people attended the most recent NASA in the Park held in June 2024.
The event featured 68 vendors on site and had a special visit from San Francisco 49ers quarterback, aerospace engineer, and philanthropist Josh Dobbs.
Marshall credits the event’s success to the support and participation of its partners in government, industry, academia, and the community.
“NASA in the Park was a huge success this year, thanks to the tremendous support NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center receives from the Huntsville and North Alabama communities. The day was a true testament to the strength of our partnerships across the region,” said Pelfrey.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has an even bigger event planned for 2025 when it celebrates 65 years of innovation and inspiration.
