From: baalke@zagami.jpl.nasa.gov   
      
   Gretchen Cook-Anderson   
   Headquarters, Washington               September 23, 2003   
   (Phone: 202/358-0836)   
      
   RELEASE: 03-302   
      
   NASA NAMES MINORITY UNIVERSITY SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION   
   PARTNERS   
      
        NASA announced today the 16 recipients of the 2003   
   Minority University College Education and Research   
   Partnership Initiative in Space Science (MUCERPI) award.   
      
   Dr. Clifford W. Houston, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator   
   for Education Programs, announced the winners at the Emerging   
   Leaders Youth Workshop in conjunction with the Congressional   
   Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Issues Conference at the   
   Washington Convention Center.   
      
   MUCERPI offers minority universities an opportunity to   
   develop academic programs and/or faculty and student   
   capabilities in space science through close partnerships with   
   major space science research groups. The capabilities   
   developed under this initiative may include research,   
   undergraduate or graduate courses or degree programs, pre-   
   college or public outreach programs, and/or teacher training   
   in space science.   
      
   "This initiative develops significant opportunities for   
   students in the K-12 environment and students at minority   
   institutions of higher learning to engage in space science   
   exploration and research," said Dr. Adena Williams Loston,   
   NASA Associate Administrator for Education. "This initiative   
   assists us in expanding the educational pipeline and future   
   workforce."   
      
   The 2003 MUCERPI awards include eight Historically Black   
   Colleges and Universities, five Hispanic-Serving   
   Institutions, two Tribal Colleges and Universities, and one   
   predominantly minority university. The awards are three-year   
   grants offering up to $275,000 per year. MUCERPI's period of   
   performance is January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2006.   
      
   "The success of this initiative comes from the willingness of   
   our leading space science researchers to participate as   
   active partners and to work seriously to help develop space   
   science capabilities at minority institutions," said Dr.   
   Edward J. Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for Space   
   Science.   
      
   The 2003 recipients of the MUCERPI award are:   
      
   Alabama A&M University (Normal, Ala.); California State   
   University (Los Angeles); California State University (San   
   Bernardino, Calif.); Fisk University (Nashville, Tenn.);   
   Hampton University (Hampton, Va.); Medgar Evers College   
   (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Va.);   
   North Carolina A&T University (Greensboro, N.C.); Salish   
   Kootenai College (Pablo, Mont.); South Carolina State   
   University (Orangeburg, S.C.); Southern University and A&M   
   College (Baton Rouge, La.); Southwestern Indian Polytechnic   
   Institute (Albuquerque, N.M.); the University of the District   
   of Columbia (Washington); University of Houston Downtown   
   (Houston); and University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, P.R.),   
   and University of Texas-El Paso (El Paso, Texas).   
      
   To access full abstracts about each MUCERPI award on the   
   Internet, visit:   
      
   http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_s/nra/current/NRA-03-OSS-   
   03/winners.html   
      
   For information about NASA Space Science programs on the   
   Internet, visit:   
      
   http://spacescience.nasa.gov   
      
   For information about NASA Education programs on the   
   Internet, visit:   
      
   http://education.nasa.gov/   
      
   For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:   
      
   http://www.nasa.gov   
      
      
   -end-   
      
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