Cuyahoga community college murep aerospace academy as a murep aerospace academy site, cuyahoga community college will educate, inspire and engage underserved, underrepresented k-12 students in…

This federal contract award, valued at $410,798.34, was issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) to establish the Cuyahoga Community College MUREP Aerospace Academy (MAA) as a site for STEM education and workforce development programs. Under this Cooperative Agreement, Tri-C will engage 1,200 underserved and underrepresented K-12 students annually in hands-on, NASA-related STEM activities to increase their interest and knowledge in these fields. The project aims to boost the pipeline of underrepresented students pursuing future STEM and aerospace careers, aligning with NASA's Office of Education goals. This award does not utilize any set-aside designations. Tri-C has a history of receiving federal grants to support its educational programs and community initiatives, demonstrating its capacity to deliver specialized training for students interested in aerospace and related disciplines.

Cuyahoga community college murep aerospace academy as a murep aerospace academy site, cuyahoga community college will educate, inspire and engage underserved, underrepresented k-12 students in hands-on, NASA related stem education, increasing student interest in stem and providing additional extracurricular stem opportunities with a focus on aerospace. TRI-c will enroll and serve 1200 students each year as participants in the MAA activities on the college's metropolitan campus. TRI-c MAA's long-term goal is to increase the number of underserved and underrepresented students who pursue future careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem), which is directly aligned with the NASA office of education goals. The immediate goals of the TRI-c MAA are to use a combination of community and NASA's unique resources to: 1. Improve stem literacy by engaging students, family members and teachers through the integration of emerging technologies. 2. Educate students utilizing a stem curriculum that meets national science, technology, engineering and mathematics standards aligned to NASA's mission directorates. The specific objectives of the TRI-c MAA are to: a. Increase the interest, learning and success in understanding of stem content in areas of math and science related to NASA mission directorates for 1200 historically underrepresented, underserved and minority students. B. 70% of participating students in grades 4-12 will demonstrate increased interest in stem, and 70% of participating students will demonstrate increased knowledge of their grade-level stem content c. Provide skills to 500 parents/caregivers to work with and encourage their children in stem activities and programs. D. Involve a minimum of five community groups, business, industry, museums and educational and professional organizations in enhancing the experiential stem learning of underrepresented and minority students through services as mentor, host of field trips, guest speakers and other activities. E. Engage 1200 students in participatory activities such as hands-on-learning, research, use of advanced technology, peer support groups, and mentoring relationships with professionals working in the stem fields. F. Increase the percentage of historically underserved and underrepresented students aware of and interested in NASA-specific stem careers by 20 percent. G. Provide professional development for 30 k-12 teachers from participating school districts with large percentages of underrepresented and minority students, to increase the number of students having access to the NASA stem curriculum and educational resources. The TRI-c MAA will operate using its traditional model of half-day saturday sessions during the academic year, coupled with a series of week-long summer camps. Students in grades k-12 will attend classes while parents and families participate in exercises and workshops designed to strengthen their ability to contribute to their students' educational development. The TRI-c MAA will retain much of the structure of its original semaa program, while offering several enhancements and innovations including: piloting in-school programming; more directly aligning curriculum with state mandated learning outcomes; a k-12 teacher professional development institute; enhanced community engagement activities, including field trips; and career and college exploration activities for secondary school students.