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MEMBER INSTITUTIONS

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY

NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER

NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTERNASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE CENTER

SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA AIR AND SPACE CENTER

STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

VIRGINIA’S CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

3..........Student Conference 4..........NSF/ATE Award 5..........Exploratory Saturday 6..........Aerospace Day 7..........GEAR-UP Program 9..........VSGC Awards 10-11....Scholarship Awardees

VSGC Awarded $1.4 Million NASA Education Grant

Continued on Page 8

Volume XVIII No. 1 Spring 2009

NASA has selected the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) to receive a $1.4 million grant for the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars program. The funding is one of nine nationwide grants awarded on March 31 by NASA’s Office of Education.

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) is a one-semester, interactive, exploration-themed, online course for high school juniors followed by a one-week residential Summer Academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. All expenses are paid for participants. At the Academy, Scholars work side by side with NASA scientists, engineers and technologists to plan a human mis-sion to Mars. The program builds on a model developed by Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The Academy offers students a real-world, project-based aero-space experience that builds STEM knowledge and skills while exposing students to the range of available aerospace and high tech careers through interactions with NASA career professionals. The program also engages and trains master educators statewide to teach the online course and facilitate the Summer Academy. Students receive college credit for their participation in the course and the Academy.

“We are very pleased with this NASA grant that will allow us to expand

the statewide reach of the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars program and to engage many more students and educators,” said Virginia Space Grant Consortium Director Mary Sandy. “This important partnership with NASA Langley Research Center, which also has strong support from aerospace industry and the Commonwealth of Virginia, offers high school juniors from every area of Virginia an outstanding educational opportunity at a time in their lives when important college and career decisions are being made.”

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VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUMEmail: vsgc@odu.edu

Internet: http://www.vsgc.odu.edu600 Butler Farm Road, Suite 200, Hampton, VA 23666

OFFICE: (757) 766-5210 – FAX (757) 766-5205

Mary SandyDirector

Chris CarterAssistant Director

John CompanionResearch Programs Manager

Brenda NeilProgram Manager

Nick KoltunEducational Programs Specialist

Amber Agee-DeHartVASTS Program Manager

Janet DotzauerProgram Specialist

Barbara MannProgram Specialist

Judy McGheeOffice Manager

Debbie RossProgram Assistant

Debbie MurrayLARSS Program Coordinator

Sarah PaulsLARSS Administrative Assistant

Wendy KeeneAdministrative Assistant

Spacelink Editor: Brenda Neil

In 1988, Congress enacted the NASA National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (also know as Space Grant). The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) received its designation from NASA in 1989. VSGC is a coalition of five Virginia colleges and universities, NASA, state educational agencies, Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, and other organizations with a strong interest in math, science, engineering and technology education and the preparation of a qualified high technology workforce. The VSGC acts as an umbrella organization, coordinating and developing educational and research efforts for Virginia and the nation.

VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM The Director’s Corner

I am delighted to report good news on many fronts! Our Consortium received a very positive evaluation in NASA’s recent five-year review of state Space Grant programs making us eligible to renew our Space Grant award for five additional years. We were also very pleased to learn

that the NASA budget passed Congress with a programmatic increase for VSGC. It will mean an additional $55,000 in funding for FY09, with about $17,000 allocated to additional scholar-ship and fellowship awards. These new funds will also help to continue our newly initiated New Investigator Award program. (see page 12)

A $1.4 million NASA K-12 grant was awarded to VSGC on March 31, 2009 for the

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program. The award will permit 800 Virginia students statewide to participate in the online course and 300 to be selected for participation in a Summer Academy experience over the two-year life of the award. (see page 1) In addition, we are grateful to the Virginia General Assembly for a $75,000 budget amendment for VASTS.

We also just received a National Science Foundation Advanced

Technological Education grant of nearly $900,000 over three years to establish academic pathways in geospatial technology (GIS) at three of Virginia’s community colleges. Partners in the Geospatial Techni-cian Education Through Virginia’s Community Colleges (GTEVCC) project include John Tyler Community College, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Western Community College, Virginia Community College System, and the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program at Virginia Tech.

Along with several Space Grant Directors and colleagues, I had the pleasure of briefing President Obama’s Transition Team for NASA on the Space Grant program and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. It was heartening to see the emphasis that the new administration is placing on STEM education and workforce development. The Transition Team was very positive in its feedback on the contributions being made by the Space Grant program and its potential for even greater impact.

The fourth annual Aerospace Day at the Virginia General Assembly

was held in February and VSGC had a key role in the activities. (see page 6)

More than 500 middle school students have been positively impacted by our GAITE and GEAR UP programs as you will see on pages 5 and 7.

2009 is proving to be our best year yet as we continue to grow in

outreach efforts and programmatic impact to Virginia and the nation.

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Annual Student Research Conference Honors VSGC Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees

One of the major highlights of our year is the An-nual Student Research Conference and Luncheon to honor scholarship and fellowship recipients who have received research funding from Virginia Space Grant Consortium. This year’s conference and luncheon event, which was the 5th annual, was held April 9 and hosted by Hampton University (HU). Current Schol-ars and Fellows presented the results of their research during the conference portion of the program. Forty Graduate Research Fellows provided 15 minute oral presentations while 13 Undergraduate Research Schol-ars presented posters describing their research.

Hampton University sponsored the 5th annual lun-cheon to honor all Scholars and Fellows for the 2008-09 aca-demic year. This luncheon was an ideal opportunity for networking among the 150 attendees includ-ing students and alumni, faculty advisors, NASA personnel, industry and business professionals and VSGC staff. Dr. Wil-liam R. Harvey, President of Hampton University, gave the welcome and opening remarks. The keynote speaker was Dr. James M. Russell, III, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at HU. The topic of his address was, “The Hampton University Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere Satel-lite Mission Overview and Science Results.” Ivy Krystal Jones, VSGC Graduate Fellow Alum

from Hampton University, spoke briefly to the audience about her award and the impact it had on her ability to complete her masters in physics at HU. She encouraged the current students to continue to pursue their research dreams and to not give up.

Evaluation comments from Scholars and Fellows at-tending the Research Conference were positive overall and included, “Wonderful day! Conference presentations were an inspiration.” “The conference was the highlight of my semester.” “Thank you for the support. I feel honored as a recipient, and I look forward to returning in the future.”

Graduate Fellow presentations were structured around five research areas including: Astrophysics; Planetary Science; Aerospace Systems; Structures and Materials; and Applied Science. Research topics were diverse and ranged from subjects like “The Influence of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) on the Development and Intensity of Atlantic Hurricanes,” to the “Spatial Distribution of Autotrophic Nitrifying Microorganisms in Engineered Reactor Systems, and “A Hybrid Method for Measur-ing Heat Flux.”

VSGC Scholarship and Fellowship Recipients and attendees.

Dr. William R. Harvey, President, Hampton University (r), gave wel-come and opening remarks and Dr. James Russell, III, Co-Director of the Hampton University Center for Atmospheric Sciences gave keynote address.

VSGC Scholars and Fellows from Hampton University enjoy a photo opportunity.

L-R: Meredith Elrod (UVA) talks with Dante Earl(UVA) about his research project during the poster session.

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VSGC Receives Award from NSF’s Advanced Technological Education Program

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium was recently award-ed a grant of $894,228 by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program (NSF-ATE) for the Geospatial Technician Education through Virginia’s Community Colleges (GTEVCC) project. Project partners include the Virginia Community College System, John Tyler Community College, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Western Community College, and the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program at Virginia Tech.

The vision of the GTEVCC project is to establish sustain-able academic pathways in geospatial technology at three colleges in the Virginia Community College System that

will provide Virginia employers with a larger pool of skilled geospatial technicians. These academic pathways will serve as model programs for other community colleges.

The GTEVCC project will include geospatial technol-ogy educational materials development, adaptation, and implementation, and will provide professional develop-ment and mentoring for faculty. Each college will develop a certificate program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and update their existing GIS courses and programs to better reflect the employer’s needs. Curriculum devel-oped through the GTEVCC project will be based on the principles of authentic learning and driven by the needs of business and industry in the Commonwealth. Profes-sional development for high school teachers in each of the partnering college’s service regions will be provided by the VSGC’s OVERspace program.

The project team will also develop geospatial technology career awareness resources and materials to be shared state-wide to build the workforce pipeline by increasing enroll-

ment in geospatial programs. The project team will create and maintain a geospatial technology web portal to serve as a repository for pathway models, curriculum, professional development materials, career awareness materials and other resources. A GTEVCC Advisory Committee consisting of leaders in geospatial technology in the Commonwealth from business and industry, education and local and state government will be formed to advise the project team.

Chris Carter, VSGC Assistant Director, states, “The VSGC is honored to lead the GTEVCC effort on behalf of the VCCS, the partnering community colleges, and all the project partners. The VCCS has a strong commitment to geospatial technology education and meeting the needs of employers across the Commonwealth. Virginia is lucky to have such a large and dedicated group of professionals and educators in the geospatial technology field. I am very proud of the collaboration and effort of the GTEVCC team that has already accomplished so much through our plan-ning grant. “

NSF’s ATE program supports the development of techni-cians in emerging fields, recognizing the need to inspire, motivate, and empower students to develop and achieve career goals. NSF funds ATE projects that focus on develop-ing partnerships between community colleges, other higher education institutions and employers to provide workforce development and education of science and engineering tech-nicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels.

The benefits of this partnership are recognized by business and industry representatives. Russell Minich, Principal with the Timmons Group, has been a participant on the project since the planning team first met several years ago. “The NSF-funding GTEVCC project is GREAT news for the partnering community colleges, the VCCS and the Com-monwealth. I really look forward to serving on the advisory committee and providing the business community prospec-tive. We are the major consumers of the community college product, a trained workforce,” Minich stated.

For more information, contact Chris Carter, Assistant Director,

cxcarter@odu.edu or 757-766-5210.

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GAITE Engineering Technology Exploratory Saturday Series

Parents engaging with GAITE Career Coach

Students build a robot rover at NASA Langley

As partner in the Governor’s Academy for Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GAITE), VSGC is pleased to design and facilitate the Engineering and Technology Exploratory Saturday series for seventh and eighth grade middle school students. The Saturday program provides hands-on enrichment activities to help students explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) academics and careers. A separate track for parents is provided in each of the Saturday sessions and includes information regarding careers and academic pathways. School divisions participating in GAITE and the Explor-atory Saturday programs include Gloucester County, Wil-liamsburg/James City County, Poquoson, York County, Newport News and Hampton.

Captured here are five Exploratory Saturdays that have been held thus far, with the final one for the year sched-uled later in May. Canon Virginia hosted the Engineering Technology Exploratory Saturday on May 2. The event entitled, “Connecting the Future” brought together forty students and twenty-seven parents for an engaging day of hands-on activi-ties and informa-tive sessions re-lated to engineer-ing technology careers. Led by apprentices from Northrop Grum-man’s Apprentice School, the sev-enth and eighth grade students used a circuit board kit to build and test a variety of electronic components. The students also got to interact with many different robots and automated features of Canon’s production line. Com-ments from student evaluations included: “I loved the tic-tack-toe robot, the robot cars and the

UV stuff.” “This was an excellent way to view my options for

the future.” “It is a great program and I really enjoy it.”

Fifty-three enthusiastic and energetic seventh and eighth grade students and 32 parents attended an Exploratory Saturday session program on March 28. Hosted by Thomas Nelson Community College, the “Designing the

Future,” Saturday session featured hands-on activities in Computer Aided Design (CAD), modeling and simulation, and composites and smart materials. Student comments included: “I liked the

smart stuff, the water absorb-ing demo was cool.” “I am glad I

signed up for the Saturday se-ries, it is a lot of fun.” “The Saturday

series made me enjoy technology even more.”

On February 14, NASA Langley Research Center hosted the event titled, ‘Automating the Future’. Seven-ty-three students and sixty-three parents attended the event and participated in a penny-hauling derby, attended exhibits featuring robotic demonstrations, and built a robot to take home with them. Student comments included: “The robots were fun.” “This is awesome.” “I liked building the robot.” Canon Virginia also hosted the January 31 Exploratory

Saturday event with seventy-two students and fifty-six parents in attendance. Comments from the students were positive and included: “The light/laser session was fun!” “Electronic connections was awesome.” “It was great and I will definitely recommend GAITE

to my friends.” Other GAITE components that will be coordinated

by VSGC include an Engineering Technology Summer Camp for ninth and tenth graders and a teacher profes-sional development workshop.

Students learn from hands-on circuit kits.

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• 350+aerospacecompanies.1

• 27,000peopleemployed.2

• $5.6billionindirecteconomicoutput.3

• $3.9billionindirectsectorsupport.4

• $29.3billion(secondinthenation)forU.S.DoDprimecontracts;11%ofallcontractsawardedbyvalue.5

• $655millioninNASAFY08fundingtoVirginiabusinessesanduniversities.6

• $1.2billioninincomeand11,000jobsgen-eratedinFY08annuallybyNASALangleyResearchCenterandNASAWallopsFlightFacility.

• Oneoffourstateswithanoperationalcommer-cialspaceportcapableoflaunchingsatellitestoorbit.7

• HometoU.S.DoDfacilitiesinvolvedinaero-spaceresearchandtechnologyincludingDe-fenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency,AirForceOfficeofScientificResearch,NationalReconnaissanceOffice,andtheNationalSecu-ritySpaceOffice.

• Virginia’suniversitiesofferoutstandingengi-neering,scienceandtechnologyeducationandresearch.VirginiaTechisfifthinthenationforengineeringdegreesawarded.

• HometotheNationalInstituteofAerospaceandVirginiaSpaceGrantConsortium,robustorganizationspromotingscienceandengineer-ingeducation,workforcedevelopmentandresearch.

1 Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Aerospace Industry Snapshot. 2008 2 Economic Impact of NASA Operations in Virginia, Wessex Group, LTD - Fiscal Year 2008. 3 American Society for Engineering Education. Profiles and Data Book, 2007. (National rankings for B.S. degreesawarded in engineering in 2007: 1) Georgia Tech; 2) Penn State; 3) University of Illinois; 4) Pur-due: 5) Virginia Tech; 6) North Carolina State University; 7) University of Michigan. 4 National Science Board’s Science and Engineering Indicators. 20085 State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A Status Report on Advancing Virginia Through Higher Education: The Systemwide Strate-gic Plan for Higher Education in Virginia. October 23, 2006.

Virginia’s Aerospace Sector:A High Tech Engine Propelling

Virginia’s Economy

VSGC Participates In Aerospace Day at the Virginia Legislature

L-R: Mary Sandy, VSGC Director, Jeremy Codiroli, VASTS Scholar and Delegate Kirk Cox, who happens to be Jeremy’s teacher.

The 4th Annual Aerospace Day at the Virginia Legis-lature was held February 4-6 to increase awareness of the importance of NASA and the aerospace industry to the economic well being and future of the Commonwealth. Teams of Senior leaders from NASA Langley, VSGC staff members, aerospace industry representatives and members of academia met with state senators, delegates and key officials during meetings held on both days of the event.

A highlight of the day was VSGC-funded under-graduate and graduate students and high school juniors from the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program who accompanied the teams on visits.

Legislators heard first hand from the students how important these student programs are to the Common-wealth’s workforce development efforts in science and technology. Mary Sandy, VSGC Director, had the lead for coordinating the Aerospace Sector messages that were presented to legislators and key policy makers in Richmond. Sandy was also a speaker at a House and Senate-led breakfast panel meeting on aerospace work-force issues. She presented to the Legislative Black Caucus and Hampton Roads Black Caucus meetings. In the next column are some statistics about the aerospace

sector that were shared with Legislators on aerospace in Virginia.

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demonstrated real world problems such as those faced by NASA engineers; students established a Mars Colony where they learned to identify, compare and contrast conditions and needs on the red planet and Earth; and they learned about Virginia’s Waterworld and how important it is to have clean water for humans and the environment, and how the Earth actually helps filter water to recycle it. Comments from the evaluations attested the students’ positive experience in Exploratory Saturdays; “today was interesting, especially with the eggs,” “it’s nice to invent things for safe landings,” and “I really like the big black and white robot. I call him Oreo.”

VSGC will also organize a three-day Summer Academy to be hosted in partnership with Consortium member universities to provide STEM educational enrichment opportunities for students to interact with college faculty and other STEM professionals.For more information, contact Chris Carter, VSGC Assistant Direc-

tor, cxcarter@odu.edu, or 757-766-5210.

GEAR UP for Student Success Program

As a partner in the GEAR UP for Student Success program led by Hampton City Schools, VSGC coordi-nated four STEM Exploratory Saturday events for sixth and seventh grade students from Lindsay and Spratley Middle Schools in Hampton. These events were hosted by the Virginia Air and Space Center and held from January to March. Over 230 students (and parents) attended the Saturday events and several teachers and administrators were also present. Students were engaged in STEM-focused programs that featured team build-ing with cooperative learning and highly kinesthetic problem solving challenges, and earth science activities with real world problems and examples. In addition, a career roundtable session was held with NASA profes-sionals to provide career and education pathways and resources for students.

Hands-on activities for students included robotics demonstrations on how they work and perform; the construction of an “eggstronaut” space craft designed to land safely when carrying fragile “egg” cargo which

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The second year of the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program is in full swing. The Scholars, high school juniors from all regions of Virginia, have nearly completed the semester-long online course in aerospace science and history. VSGC is thrilled to be able to provide four college credit hours from Thomas Nelson Community College for the on-line course and upcoming Summer Academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Scholars will receive credits in Introduction to Aerospace En-gineering Technology and Introduction to Mechanical Engineering.

VASTS is a successful partnership between VSGC and NASA Langley Research Center with support from the Virginia Department of Education, the Commonwealth of Virginia and industry sponsors.

There will be two Summer Academies offered in July to 90 Scholars who successfully complete the online course. According to Amber Agee-DeHart, VASTS Program Manager, “the Scholars will be working col-laboratively, with a systems engineering focus, in teams to design a human mission to Mars. NASA scientists, engineers and technologists will be mentors to the Scholars and will work directly with the groups daily to provide information, guidance and feedback on the mission design efforts,” DeHart stated.

During the Summer Academy, NASA mentors will share their experiences and discuss career and education options available to the Scholars who are interested in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and aerospace fields. Master Teachers and Undergradu-ate Assistants, who are majoring in STEM areas, also work directly with the four teams to facilitate the mission design experience.

Marketing and recruitment efforts for VASTS 2010 have begun with direct mailing to all high schools in Virginia and with staff attending education conferences and meetings across the state. The deadline for appli-cations for the VASTS 2010 program is November 6, 2009. www.vasts.spacegrant.org

For more information contact:Amber Agee-DeHart, VASTS Program Manageraageedeh@odu.edu 757-766-5210

Debbie Ross, VASTS Program Assistantdross@odu.edu757-766-5210

VASTS Program in Full Swing

VASTS students visit robotics lab during 08 Summer Academy

NASA Award Continued from Page 1

VASTS builds on a successful pilot program conducted in 2008 for 48 students. The NASA award will permit 800 Virginia students statewide to participate in the online course and 300 to be selected for participation in a Summer Academy experience over the two-year life of the award. This prestigious program gives students the opportunity to enhance their STEM skills using NASA science as a springboard for investigating future career possibilities.

“The funding awarded by NASA will encourage more Virginia students to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas by providing the skills they will need to actively participate in the future workforce of the Commonwealth and the nation,” said Senator Jim Webb. “I commend the Virginia Space Grant Consortium for undertaking this work, and I believe that further expansion will enhance its ability to reach even greater numbers of Virginia students.” Webb concluded.

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The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is pleased to announce the awarding of $316,150 in schol-arships and fellowships to 73 students pursuing higher education at Virginia Space Grant Universities for the 2009-10 academic year.

The VSGC is a coalition of five Virginia colleges and universities (Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Hampton University, and College of William and Mary), NASA, the Virginia Commu-nity College System, other state educational agencies, Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, and other institutions representing diverse aerospace education and research interests.

Students in any field of study related to an understanding of aerospace are eligible, including but not limited to, engineering, science, math, computer science, physics, and technology. The students compete for the awards in a highly competitive application process.

VSGC Scholarships and Fellowships Awarded for 2009-2010

pursuing any field of study with aerospace relevance and actively engaged in a research project. VSGC awarded $76,150 in Undergraduate Research Scholarships to 12 students.

Teacher Education STEM Scholarships are $1,000 awards given to students enrolled at a Virginia Space Grant university in a track that leads to teacher certifica-tion in a pre-college setting. VSGC awarded $11,000 in Teacher Education Scholarships to 11 students.

Community College STEM Scholarships are $1,500 awards made to students enrolled at a Virginia commu-nity college, who have completed at least one semester of coursework and are pursuing a program of study that includes coursework related to an understanding of or interest in technological fields supporting aerospace. VSGC awarded $9,000 in Community College Scholar-ships to 6 students.

Space Grant Scholars and Fellows must be engaged in an identified research project with a faculty advisor as part of their academic program. The awards, which are determined by a committee of Consortium repre-sentatives, are based on evaluation of the applicant’s research proposal, past scholastic achievement, and academic potential. Students receiving awards present their research findings at an annual student research conference. The awards allow the students to actively engage in research during their academic careers, while providing support for their academic studies.

Photos of 2009-2010 Scholarship and Fellowship awardees will be featured in

the next issue of SpaceLink.

For more information on VSGC Educational Pro-grams or Scholarship and Fellowship Program contact Chris Carter, Assistant Director cxcarter@odu.edu or 757-766-5210

Since the inception of the program in 1990, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium has awarded nearly $4,234,894 in scholarships and fellow-ships to 934 students.

VSGC provides monetary awards in four categories:

Graduate Research Fellowships are $5,000 renewable awards (up to two years) of add-on graduate support for students enrolled at a Virginia Space Grant uni-versity pursuing any field of graduate study (Masters or Doctoral level) with aerospace relevance. VSGC awarded $220,000 in Graduate Research Fellowships to 44 students. The students’ universities contribute matching funds.

Undergraduate Research Scholarships are one-year, non-renewable support up to $8,500 for undergraduate students enrolled in a Virginia Space Grant university

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Congratulations Teacher Education Scholarship Winners

Caitlin Campbell is a Junior at Vir-ginia Tech and is pursuing a degree in Mathematics Education.

Chelsey Cooper is a Junior at Virginia Tech. She is pursing a degree in Sec-ondary Mathematic Education.

Amy Daugherty is a Senior at Old Dominion University. She is pursu-ing a Masters degree in Secondary Chemistry Education.

Elisabeth Drechsel is a Junior at Virginia Tech. She plans to pursue a Masters degree in Secondary Math-ematics Education.

Amanda Edwards is a Masters can-didate at Virginia Tech. She is pursu-ing a degree in Science Education.

Stacey Fink is a Masters candidate at the University of Virginia and is pur-suing a degree in Secondary Biology Education.

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) awarded a total of $21,000 in Teacher Education and Commu-nity College Scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year. The awards include twelve Teacher Education Scholarships and six Community College Scholarships. Teacher Education Scholarships are $1,000 awards and are awarded to students enrolled in a program of study that would qualify them to teach in a pre-college set-ting. This encourages students to become teachers of mathematics, technology education, and the sciences, especially space and environmental science.

The program is open to undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens and are enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) when they actually receive the award. Students may apply during their senior year of high school or sophomore year in a community college.

This award is contingent on matriculation to a Vir-ginia Space Grant university and can apply when they declare their intent to enter the teacher certification

program. Those students enrolled in a career transi-tion program leading to a degree in education are also eligible to apply.

The Teacher Education Scholarship Program was established to complement the existing research science and engineering-based scholarships. NASA, along with the Commonwealth of Virginia contributions, funds this program.

For the Community College Scholarships, a $1,500 award is provided to students enrolled in associate degree programs leading to careers in high technology fields, particularly those with aerospace relevance. This is a one-year award and is based on an evaluation of the ap-plicant’s degree program, plan of study, past scholastic achievement and academic potential.

Both the Teacher Education and Community Col-lege awards are determined by a committee of VSGC representatives.

Teacher Education and Community College Awards

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Elizabeth Lerberg is a Masters candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her field of study is Cur-riculum and Instruction in Secondary Education.

Rebecca Perrigan is a Senior at The College of William and Mary. She is pursuing a degree in Mathematics Education.

Melissa Tilashalski is a Sophomore at Virginia Tech. She plans to pursue a degree in Mathematics Education.

Christina Woods is a Masters can-didate at the University of Virginia. She is pursuing a degree in Earth Science Education.

Congratulations Community College Scholarship Winners

Nathan Akers is a sophomore at Thomas Nelson Community College. He plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Engineering.

Michael Bennett is a sophomore at Tidewater Community College. He plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Engineering.

Forrest Burnette is sophomore at Pied-mont Community College. He plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Engineering.

Benjamin Goldman is a sophomore at the Virginia Western Community College. He plans to pursue a Mas-ter’s degree in Engineering.

Shmuel Levi is a sophomore at Pied-mont Community College. He plans to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.

Thomas Scullery is a sophomore at Piedmont Community College. He plans to pursue an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Veronica Hall is a Senior at Vir-ginia Tech. She is pursing a degree in Mathematics Education.

Nicole Huret is a Masters candidate at Virginia Tech. She is pursuing a degree in Mathematics Education.

Congratulations Teacher Education Scholarship Winners

154075-5902VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM

Old Dominion University Peninsula CenterOld Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA 23529

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT. 49

NORFOLK, VA

VSGC Launches New Ivestigator Program For University Faculty

A New Investigator Program for university faculty at Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) member institutions was recently announced. The program is designed to strengthen Virginia’s research infrastructure by providing startup funding to university personnel who are conducting research that is directly aligned with NASA’s multi-disciplinary mission.

Individuals who apply for the program must be quali-fied to serve as a principal investigator at their respective institution and be a U.S. Citizen. A total of five awards of $10,000 each will be made; submission is limited to one proposal per investigator. This opportunity is avail-able to faculty who are tenure track and within the first five (5) years of their academic career. VSGC member universities include College of William and Mary, Hamp-ton University, Old Dominion University; Virginia Tech and University of Virginia. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of individuals who are scientifically literate,

but not necessarily experts, in the proposed field of research. Proposals will be grouped into “research areas” based on information provided by the PI dur-ing proposal submission. Special parameters have been established by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium for evaluation in the following major areas: • Research plan (30%).• Alignment of research to NASA’s Mission

(30%).• Budget alignment to research plan (15%).• Professional letter of support from research

colleague; commitment by PI’s institution to the investigator and the proposed research as indicated by the letter of support from the university and/or cost matching (15%).

• Compelling case for the need for this support to further the investigator’s research career (10%).

Awards will be announced by June 22.

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