By Mike Murray
Introduction
Long before I worked with the Montana Space Grant Consortium (2000-2002) I was already intimately familiar with Space Grant because a great number of our original planetarium productions have been funded by them over the last ten years! In fact, they’ve helped to support not only planetarium shows, but exhibits development, teacher workshops, educational outreach trunks for teachers, lecture series, Starlab programs, and resources development. And this is to say nothing of the planetarium projects Space Grant has funded in other states!
So just what is "Space Grant" and how can your facility get involved? Established in 1988, the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program works to strengthen aerospace research and education through a variety of activities. Research initiation grants, education enhancement grants, undergraduate research grants and a scholarship-fellowship program are administered by a central Consortium office in each state, as well as in Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Each office acts as a statewide clearinghouse for information on NASA and other aerospace-related programs relevant to the state, and takes an active role in alerting Consortium faculty about opportunities in research and education with NASA and other space agencies.
Space Grant members consist of institutions of higher education, business, industry and non-profit organizations. The Consortium works with these affiliates, and through government and public outreach, to promote a strong science, math and technology base in each state.
The consortia administer programs in three areas of university and NASA concern: research, education, and public service. The Space Grant program benefits from the enthusiastic support of hundreds of dedicated volunteers all across the nation. The grassroots design has fostered the formation of diverse partnerships and networks that provide for collaboration on a wide range of research and educational endeavors.
Important to note is that the program is not wholly funded by NASA, but rather is shared equally with the participating university, business, and non-profit affiliates. This allows for a certain degree of flexibility when it comes to goals and objectives that each state may set to achieve the Space Grant’s larger mission.
Fellowships and Scholarships
Graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships are awarded annually on a competitive basis to students pursuing studies in fields related to aerospace sciences and engineering. Heavy emphasis is placed in the evaluation process on student’s involvement in aerospace-related research. In 2000, over 2200 scholarships were awarded among the 52 consortia.
Research Infrastructure
Research Initiation grants are awarded competitively (internal and external review of proposals). Intended as "seed money," these proposals are for one year of funding only, and are not generally renewable through the Consortium. Awardees are required to submit a follow-on proposal to NASA for regular research funding during the period of the grant. The majority of this funding has gone to graduate student support, providing both research and education enhancement simultaneously.
Higher Education
Space Grant can fund a wide variety of projects that will improve
the quality and diversity of research and education at the campuses
of higher learning. In Montana, for example, we have funded the
refurbishment of the Blue Mountain Observatory at The University
of Montana, established new courses in remote sensing, aircraft
structure design, digital image processing, and most recently,
helped in the formation of a space science engineering laboratory
here at MSU.
The Consortium sponsors undergraduate students to become summer Research Associates for the NASA Academy programs at Goddard and Marshall Space Flight Centers, and the Ames Research Center. Space Grant also provides opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in special research groups, like the KC-135 "vomit comet" experiment program, or the "Citizen Explorer" student-designed earth-orbiting satellite project run by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium at Boulder.
Pre-College Education
Space Grant supports initiatives related to science and mathematics education in K-12 by funding programs which adhere to national standards and reform measures.
Each state has established its own unique set of resources and programs to best serve its special needs and requirements. Some of these programs include educational outreach, teacher classes and workshops, speaker networks, teaching trunks, internet-based instruction and resources, Starlab program development, and Space Camps (for students or teachers).
General Public
Space Grant encourages public awareness of the existence and benefits of space research and tries to convey the excitement of the scientific frontier to the public.
The development of planetarium programs serves this need, and it is important to show the great numbers of people that these shows reach! For instance, we can honestly say that over 400,000 people have attended eight different planetarium programs created by the Museum of the Rockies with MSGC funding. These are the kinds of numbers that NASA loves to see!
Education Enhancement Grants
These grants are awarded competitively within each state (internal review of proposals). Emphasis in on "product" or "value added"; Space Grant does not fund "improvements" which require continuing Consortium funding to maintain their existence. Awards are for one year, but may be renewed if further development and new goals are proposed.
This, of course, is a prime area that planetariums can get involved
with! Museums and planetariums clearly have programs and resources
in astronomy and space science, links with NASA, and an educational
mission with strong science objectives. They are uniquely positioned
to make an important contribution to astronomy and space education.
Increasing Your Chances For Funding
Proposals need to show how your program will use the unique assets of your facility to enhance student and public understanding of current space events and discoveries, and how they advance Space Grant Consortium goals. But before you rush off to write a proposal, you should arrange a meeting with your state’s Space Grant representatives, preferably the Director. Just like in the planetarium business, resources are limited and tend to be spread thin across the state. To "wedge" your way into the program might be seen as "displacing" other programs, but there are things you can do that will show why YOUR program is the one to fund:
Start by accessing the National Space Grant Site:
http://calspace.ucsd.edu/spacegrant/
Once there, you can access a U.S. map that contains links to EVERY state’s Space Grant office. Most of these will have the kinds of information you need to see about programs, contacts, application procedures, and the like. Grants usually run from the March 1 - February 28 period each year, which means applications are generally accepted in the September - November range (but check your state for these deadlines!).
The Museum of the Rockies here in Bozeman has probably one of the greatest success stories in the country when it comes to Space Grant support of planetarium shows and space education activities (Utah and New Hampshire are other good examples). To get a firsthand view of what we’ve done, check out:
http://spacegrant.montana.edu/Text/Taylor_Planetarium.html
Even after all your research and meetings, there is no guarantee that you will secure funding. As I mentioned earlier, priorities and procedures will vary from state to state. Levels of Space Grant funding are also different in each state. Public service and outreach may not hold a high priority for your state’s Space Grant staff. But as is the case with all grant proposals, if at first you don’t succeed, get feedback on what the "deficiencies" are and try again next year! Many grants take more than one attempt to be successful.
For More Information
Please study the National website listed above! You can also see ours at: