Four universities have been chosen by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) to receive rewards totaling approximately $2 million for improved STEM curriculums.
The four institutes, University of Hawaii, Howard University, University of Texas at El Paso, and Elizabeth City State University, will each receive up to $500,000. Once awarded the MUREP Other Opportunities grant, each university will have three year to create and put in place a STEM program. To win the selection, each of the schools had to submit a unique plan for creating and implementing activities that have the potential to help “traditionally underserved” STEM students majoring in programs applicable to NASA and its missions.
“NASA’s MUREP program provides support for colleges and universities to build programs that connect students from underrepresented and underserved communities with NASA, giving them the strong foundation they need to pursue and excel in STEM fields,” said Donald James, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Education, in a press release announcing the award recipients.
MUREP’s awards provide universities with a large minority student body financial assistance. Those institutions include “historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority serving institutions and eligible community colleges,” according to NASA. Any institution selected shows a propensity for recruiting and retaining students in STEM fields when those students come from traditionally underrepresented and underserving backgrounds, including women and students with disabilities.
