NASA Funds Nearly $900,000 in Planning Awards to Minority Serving Institutions

Winners Announced for NASA's MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification Award to Facilitate Long-Term Collaborations and Opportunities to Pursue Larger Funding Stream

HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) announced the winners of the MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award. 15 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) will receive awards to contribute to research opportunities in preparation for larger funding programs such as NASA's annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) solicitation within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's University Leadership Initiative, and human performance research within NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate.

MUREP invited MSIs to apply for funding to support research, professional development, and student experiences that contribute to NASA Mission Directorate priorities. MSI teams are supported with NASA expert guidance and resources, enabling MSIs to unlock their full potential and deliver technological innovations that contribute to NASA's missions and benefit society.

The awarded MSIs and their partners are invited to meet with NASA researchers and MUREP representatives throughout the remainder of 2023. The meetings serve as training sessions to pursue future NASA opportunities. These trainings focus primarily on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, and providing insights into NASA's research priorities to better prepare participants for future opportunities.

The winners are as follows:

• Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL
• Creating a Storage Standard for Methane
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Scenario Based XR Immersive Training Environment
• California State University, Northridge
• Glass Fiber Reinforcement in 3D Printed Concrete
• Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu
• LiqMEST-Liquid Metal Electric. Protective Textile
• New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn
• Geocrete for Fully Deployable In-situ Construction
• Prairie View A & M University, Texas
• High throughput, real-time, label-free cell assays
• San Diego State University, San Diego, California (two selected projects)
• Better Space Parties with Algae-Enriched Guacamole
• Safety Verification with Data-driven Uncertainty
• The University of Texas at Arlington 
• Multiscale Defect Analysis of Advanced Composites
• The University of Texas at El Paso 
• 3D Microfluidic Cardiac Model in Microgravity
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg
• Inflammation and Brain Health for Astronauts
• The University of Texas at San Antonio 
• Impact of Repeated Loading on the Lunar Launch Pad
• University of California, Irvine
• Acoustic modeling & testing of interacting rotors
• University of Central Florida, Orlando (three selected projects)
• A CNS Digital Twin Framework for AAM
• Multimodal Wireless Piezoelectric Microsensors
• SUPERSAF-SAF for Low Emission Supersonic Transport
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Development of Fire-retardant Polymers for NASA
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Ranger: Multifunctional Intelligent Sensor System

To view the award and learn more about the awardees, visit www.NASAMPLAN.org

Media Contact:
Alexandra Pony
250.858.0656
[email protected] 

SOURCE NASA Tournament Lab