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Washington Space Grant awarded five-year extensionNASA headquarters has extended funding for the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium for an additional five years, citing the statewide program's overall excellence and significant achievements especially its undergraduate research programs. Reviewers singled out the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) at the University of Washington for special praise ranking it as being "among the best such programs in the world." The Consortium provides more than 125 scholarships and fellowships a year, underwrites dozens of undergraduate research opportunities at UW, Consortium member institutions and at NASA Centers annually, and serves as a year-round resource for math and science teachers and informal educators through workshops, newsletters and classroom materials. Space Grant also sponsors public outreach programs and events to encourage interest in space-related science among learners of all ages. "Washington Space Grant has been a wonderful asset for our students," says Dean Ron Irving of the College of Arts and Sciences. "Their scholarships attract many of the state's strongest science-oriented students. Once here, the students have the opportunity to engage in research with UW faculty members, and they make the most of this opportunity, as I get to see each year at the annual program at which the students exhibit their research results." "Janice DeCosmo deserves great credit for her fostering of this community and for her dedication to the goals of the program, thanks to which Space Grant has achieved national prominence."
Reviewers also praised Washington Space Grant's management practices as outstanding. "Their wise and frugal use of NASA funds should become a model for all other consortia," reviewers wrote. Other aspects singled out as noteworthy were:
"Space Grant's above-average ratings in all but three of the 51 categories are indicative of the depth and breadth of excellence in the program," said Michael Brown, chairman of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences."
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is comprised of 13 academic and informal education institutions. Established in 1989, its mission is to assure a productive future in aerospace science and technology through activities designed to improve basic science and aerospace-related education and research opportunities for residents of Washington and the nation.
The University of Washington serves as lead institution for the Consortium. Other members are: University of Puget Sound, Washington State University, Western Washington University, Whitman College, Heritage College, Northwest Indian College, North Seattle and Seattle Central Community Colleges, North Central Educational Service District, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Pacific Science Center, and The Museum of Flight.
For more information, contact Dr. Janice DeCosmo at (206) 221-6178 or jdecosmo@u.washington.edu.
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