Group Will Sponsor 2008 Educational Competition

The Coalition for Space Exploration announced this week a partnership with the NASA Means Business program to sponsor its 2008 competition.

NASA Means Business (NMB) is a national program that provides an opportunity for college students to tell the NASA story to the public through a communications plan that will inform, educate and inspire Americans to understand and support the nation’s space program. The program is directed by the Texas Space Grant Consortium – a group of 36 institutions which include universities, industrial organizations, non-profit organizations and government agencies that collaborate to help make available the benefits of space research and technology to all.

This marks the second consecutive year the Coalition has sponsored the competition. "The mission of NASA Means Business truly aligns with the goals and objectives of the Coalition," said Mary Engola, chair of the Coalition for Space Exploration Public Affairs Team. "We know this generation will be the very ones carrying out the next steps of our country’s space exploration plan. This unique competition gives them a direct connection to space and engages them in making real contributions to NASA."

Celebrating its 10th year, the NMB program has outlined a different theme in each competition since 1998. This year, participating teams are challenged to develop a program that will help NASA share the innovation and technologies it creates to spur developments in research and commerce.  The goal is to increase awareness that the nation’s investment in spaceflight technologies can be used in a variety of fields beyond NASA. 

"We tell these participants to imagine what it would be like if NASA could advertise," said Burke Fort, director of NASA Means Business. "We basically ask them, ‘What would it look like? What innovative methods could our space agency use to communicate using various tools like advertising, marketing, communications and journalism?’"

The teams then develop the various multimedia elements of their plan – which include a 20-second video production and other radio, print and internet products that showcase the themes of those plans. "The program is a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the science and technology industry, and the creative culture," Engola added.

Teams assembled in September and submitted their proposals in November. In December, program executives selected four finalist proposals that demonstrate expertise in both traditional space disciplines and some not normally associated with space:

• Bentley College – Waltham, MA.
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide – Eglin Air Force Base, FL.
• Miami International University of Art & Design – Miami, FL.
• University of Wisconsin – Madison, WI.

In late February, leaders from the finalist teams will go through an intense orientation at NASA Johnson Space Center, where they will meet with NASA officials and employees to learn about the inner workings of space and exploration programs.

They will tour several JSC facilities – including the shuttle and space station training centers, space suit lab and Mission Control Center – to get a complete understanding of the program and its components. They also will meet with representatives of the JSC Education, Public Affairs and Legal offices, as well as gain access to NASA’s entire photograph and video archive for use in their productions.

Prior to the final presentation, teams get a chance to meet with NMB coordinators and judges to evaluate their progress, receive feedback on their projects and fine-tune elements of their promotional plan. In May, teams will present their final work to a panel of judges at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"As we mark the 10th year of the competition, we intend to expand the program to not only generate awareness for NASA, but for NASA Means Business itself," said Fort. "Our partnership with the Coalition will provide the resources and support for us to achieve both goals."

FMI: www.tsgc.utexas.edu/nmb, www.spacecoalition.com