From the University of Bridgeport:
UB one of four universities awarded a NASA X-Hab Innovation grant:
Sen. Lieberman (I-CT) hails University’s latest partnership with NASA
The University of Bridgeport has been selected by NASA to be one of four universities in the U.S. to participate in the 2012 eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge led by NASA and the National Space Grant Foundation.
Students from UB, led by mechanical engineering professor Dr. Zheng “Jeremy” Li will design habitats and science concepts that could be used by future deep space explorers. They will be responsible for designing, manufacturing, assembling, and testing all of their concepts and hardware.
A panel of engineers and scientists will assess their progress at each stage of the competition.
Teams from Oklahoma State University; University of Maryland, College Park; and Ohio State University also were chosen.
“Obviously, it’s an honor to be among one of four U.S. universities to receive the X-Hab Challenge Grant,” said Dr. Tarek Sobh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research. “This award strengthens our ongoing partnerships with NASA: UB is a member of the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, which funds student- and faculty-led research. Last year, UB undergraduate engineering students were awarded a $4,500 grant to build a lunar excavator that was showcased at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And students over the past year have been selected for competitive NASA-sponsored research and internships.”
The National Space Grant Foundation will cover the costs of the teams’ design development, as well as their participation in testing their projects at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.
“It is a testament to the University of Bridgeport–its professors, faculty, and most importantly, its students–that they will have a chance to participate in shaping the future of space technologies,” said Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). “This is truly an incredible opportunity for our students to continue–quite literally–reaching for the stars.”
For more information, go to www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/xhab_challenge.html
Neat!!!
We always could use a Hooka Lounge in the Space Station.
Great news. Shows grants do get made when you are prepared to receive them and meet the expectations. Nice to see someone other than Himes getting credit for something from the government working here in the City. No money amount included so there may not be jobs today in significant numbers, but the inventiveness of American technologists is the platform for future jobs. And perhaps it is the quality of the engineering program and people at UB, no less than some of the manufacturing talent in this region that made UB a good choice for this honor of inclusion.
If you can’t go to the moon, go to the Moonies!