Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761
sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
tracy.g.young@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C08-019

NASA AWARDS EDUCATION GRANT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded a cooperative agreement education grant
to Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. The grant supports
implementation of the Interdisciplinary National Science Program
Incorporating Research Experience, also known as INSPIRE, program at
NASA.

The grant features a one-year basic period of performance with four
one-year extension options. The estimated value of the agreement is
$2.6 million with a potential value of $22 million if all options are
exercised.

The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM.
As part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students
in STEM disciplines, students selected for INSPIRE will be given the
opportunity to participate in unique summer experiences at NASA
facilities, provided access to a variety of online resources and
invited to participate in special videoconferences with NASA
officials.

Oklahoma State University will provide administrative services for
student recruitment, online resources, project logistics and program
evaluation. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the
program with work being performed at each of NASA's ten field
centers.

For information on NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov