NASA Marshall to Host Event Spotlighting Partnerships with Historically Black Universities, Other Minority-serving Institutions; News Media Invited

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Oct 30, 2020, 11:51 ET

HUNSTVILLE, Ala., Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will host an online event Nov. 3, highlighting the critical role historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions play in the success of NASA's missions, and the long-term national value and impact of those partnerships.

The sixth annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Partnerships Meeting will be held virtually via WebEx from 9 a.m. CST to 1:30 p.m. Members of the news media are invited to cover the event, which is free and open to the public.

Prospective participants should register individually, and are asked not to share their meeting link as the total number of online attendees is limited. To register, visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-nasamsfc-6th-annual-hbcumsi-partnerships-meeting-registration-117340270909

Marshall small business leaders and managers in the STEM Engagement Office – who work with educators to promote strong school curricula and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – will provide updates on key NASA initiatives. Among them: NASA's Mentor-Protégé Program, which pairs academic institutions with NASA large contractors; the Minority University Research Education Program, which engages minority-serving institutions via grants and other partner initiatives; and the NASA Small Business Technology Transfer Program, which unites cutting-edge academic work with NASA's proven legacy of flight projects and programs.

Speakers will include Preston Jones, Marshall associate director, technical; David Brock, Marshall small business specialist; and Jason Detko, director of Marshall's Office of Procurement. Representatives of The Boeing Co. and Drake State University, both in Huntsville, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the University of Houston in Clear Lake, Texas, will present briefings on building partnerships between NASA, industry, and academia.

Media interested in covering the online event should contact Janet Sudnik, public affairs officer in Marshall's Office of Communications, at [email protected] no later than 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 2.

The meeting is sponsored by Marshall's Office of Procurement and Small Business Office. To learn more about doing business with Marshall, please visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/about/business.html

SOURCE NASA