2014 NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT {NRA} MINORITY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROJECT {MUREP} SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING AND MATH {STEM} ENGAGEMENT {MSE}

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Awards will be made as cooperative agreements. The period of performance for an award is up to 3 years. Note that it is NASA policy that all investigations involving non-U.S. organizations will be conducted on the basis of no exchange of funds. Prospective proposers are requested to submit any questions in writing to NASAMSE@nasaprs.com no later than 10 business days before the proposal due date so that NASA will be able to respond. Only Minority Serving Colleges and Universities that are legally recognized by the Department of Education are eligible to apply for this NASA Research Announcement (NRA). No later than the due date for proposals, proposers to this NRA are required to have: 1) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, 2) a valid registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) [formerly known as the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)], 3) a valid Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code, 4) a valid registration with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). The NASA Office of Education Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) solicits proposals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to create and implement a NASA STEM challenge, targeted for MSI participation. STEM challenges are creative applications of NASA-related science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and cross-cutting concepts. MUREP Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Engagement (MSE) seeks proposals to support MSIs that demonstrate the potential to increase the number of minority undergraduates in STEM education areas relevant to NASA. The specific goals of MSE awards are to: * Increase the retention and completion rates of undergraduate degrees awarded from MSIs in NASA-related STEM disciplines; * Increase the number of NASA-focused STEM experiences that engage underrepresented groups in active learning to improve retention of information and critical thinking skills; and, * Disseminate proven, innovative practices and programs in STEM teaching, STEM learning, and recruitment and retention of underrepresented/ underserved students in STEM fields. The specific objectives of the NASA MSE solicitation are to: Design, develop, and implement a NASA-related STEM challenge targeted for MSI and community college STEM-enrolled student participation; Align the challenge design with the NASA mission and with a specific NASA program or project; and Develop and implement processes to capture the impact of activities and strategies implemented through this challenge. Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity - MSE may be categorized as both other Research and Development and Education funded activity. Every institution that intends to submit a proposal to this NRA, including the proposed prime award or any partner whether an informal education institution, other non-profit institutions, state and local Government agencies, and other organizations that will serve as subawardees or contractors, must be registered in NSPIRES. Electronic submission of proposals is required by the due date and must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Such registration must identify the authorized organizational representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. All principal investigators and other participants (e.g. co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES regardless of submission system. Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Electronic proposals may be submitted via the NASA proposal data system NSPIRES or via Grants.gov. Organizations that intend to submit proposals via Grants.gov must be registered 1) with Grants.gov and 2) with NSPIRES. Additional programmatic information for this NRA may develop before the proposal due date. If so, such information will be added as a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) or formal amendment to this NRA and posted on http://nspires.nasaprs.com . It is the proposer's responsibility to regularly check NSPIRES for updates to this NRA.

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