NASA Curriculum Improvement Partnership Award

 

Overview

 

Nationally there are ten recipients to the three-year NASA-sponsored United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP) Curriculum Improvement Partnership Award II (CIPA II) Program, of which Hartnell College is one. This program was officially initiated in February, 2006 and will end in February, 2009.  The funding for the Hartnell College award is $125,000, $125,000, and $150,000 for years one, two, and three.

 

The CIPA II Project at Hartnell College, titled “Engineering Program Upgrade with Project Management,” is viewed as a project under a Hartnell College strategic initiative to increase enrollment, retention, and transfer of underrepresented students in engineering majors. The main goals of the project support the strategic initiative by:

 

  • infusing principles of project management into all current engineering courses
  • working with our partners to develop internship support projects as critical platforms to launch our students into universities and the workforce.
  • making the engineering curriculum more current and relevant to developments in modern technology.
  • connecting our underrepresented students to university research early in their development.
  • giving STEM students critical skills like project management that will give them an advantage when entering the workforce

 

For more detailed information about the grant visit the NASA-CIPA website.

 

To see the summer 2009 summer internship application and instructions click here.

 

Accomplishments

 

Under the NASA CIPA project we have:

 

  • placed 42 students in summer internships
  • formed strong partnerships with the Naval Postgraduate School, UC Santa Cruz, Fremont Peak Observatory, and Center for Adaptive Optics
  • revised 6 engineering and computer science courses to include project management
  • created the Project Management Institute to train students for successful performance during internships
  • updated engineering laboratories with new equipment and computers
  • gave students exposure to scientific research on cutting edge projects
  • created a new engineering special projects course to provide students with interesting hands-on applications of project management
  • created strong connections with the local high schools by hosting an annual robotics competition
  • prepared students to participate and earn high rankings in the International Remotely Operated Vehicle competition
  • helped students to earn several prestigious scholarships to support their education
  • increased student awareness and interest in the pursuit of higher education and degrees
  • inspired the creation of the Science and Math Institute

 

SMI Home