Washington, U.S.A.  – NASA has announced the selection of 10 research efforts from the agency’s inaugural Space Technology Research Opportunities for Early Career Faculty solicitation. NASA will provide grants of as much as $200,000 per year for as long as three years in support of these faculties and their research in specific, high-priority technology areas.

The selected faculty will conduct research in areas closely aligned with NASA’s Space Technology Roadmaps and priorities identified by the National Research Council. These priorities include extending and sustaining human activities beyond low Earth orbit, exploring the evolution of the solar system and potential for life elsewhere, and expanding our understanding of Earth and the universe.

“It’s an honor to announce this outstanding group of early career faculty researchers, representing some of the most talented new faculty from the best institutions of higher learning in America,” said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA’s Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA will benefit from the work these researchers conduct in unique, disruptive or transformational space technologies or concepts, while strengthening America’s continued global leadership in the new technology economy.”

The selected Early Career Faculty researchers are:

• Chih-Hao Chang, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Nicolaus Correll, University of Colorado at Boulder
• Julia Greer, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
• Mary Lind, Arizona State University, Tempe
• Michele Manuel, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Jeremy Munday, University of Maryland, College Park
• Marco Pavone, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
• Mina Raies-Zadeh, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Debbie Senesky, Stanford University
• Wei-Chuan Shih, University of Houston

Newly-selected early career efforts will develop technologies to automate the production of food in space and investigate and test advanced wastewater recovery technologies. These efforts also will look to develop robust timekeeping technologies that enable more precise landing and autonomous rendezvous in space, and formulate new ultra-lightweight materials with properties that can be tailored.

NASA’s Early Career Faculty efforts are an element of the agency’s Space Technology Research Grants Program. It is designed to accelerate the development of technologies originating from academia that support the future science and exploration needs of NASA, other government agencies and the commercial space sector.

Image Courtesy of  Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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California, U.S.A. - Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) announced the release of the first Organic Land Grant Assessment Report, measuring research, education and outreach in the federally funded Land Grant system. The system, initiated by President Abraham Lincoln’s visionary Land Grant Law, includes universities, research stations and Cooperative Extension.

In the past decade, the organic food industry has more than quadrupled in growth, and OFRF sheds light on America’s ability to meet growing consumer demand with trained organic farmers and useful research. Conducting the first and only national assessment of the Land Grant system’s organic activity, OFRF scored each institution on 8 points including maintaining organic research land, cultivating student organic farm, offering an organic minor, major or certificate, and employing a dedicated organic faculty or staff member.

The Top Six campuses scoring a perfect ’8′ include: Colorado State University, University of Florida, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Tennessee (the newest addition to organic), and Washington State University. Five years ago, Washington State University was the first in the country to offer students a major in organic agriculture. Today, eight Land Grant Universities provide students this opportunity.

“We look to the Land Grant system to be responsive to public needs, economic growth, rural communities, and ultimately, access to healthy, safe food,” said Maureen Wilmot, Executive Director of OFRF. “While land dedicated to organic research has nearly doubled from 2003 to 2011, and universities providing organic programs have grown from zero to eight, public universities must do a great deal more in order to meet the growing needs of organic demand.”

Rich in data, OFRF’s Organic Land Grant Assessment illuminates the need for public investment in organic research and education in order to prepare the U.S. for future organic food production challenges. The quantitative data provides tools to drill deeper into answering questions including: What elements of organic research are most relevant to the urgent needs of organic farmers? What programs best train future organic farmers? To what degree do student organic farms build organic awareness and consumption?

The information gathered for this report yielded a vast amount of state-specific data on organic programs. Daily, OFRF experiences demand for this information from farmers, scientists, students, organic advocates, policy makers, industry representatives, funders, and citizens. OFRF plans to organize and present state-specific information and make it accessible to all interested parties.

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Walt Disney World Resort recently announced the list of 100 high school students from across the U.S. who have been selected to attend the 2012 Disney’s Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine.

Often described as the world’s most creative classroom, the four-day power-packed program hosted by Disney and renowned entertainer Steve Harvey will be held March 8-11, 2012 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Disney’s Dreamers Academy inspires and fuels the dreams of selected students to help them dream bigger, discover a world of possibilities and get a jump start on making those dreams come true.

Now entering its fifth year, more than 500 high school students will have participated since Disney’s Dreamers Academy opened its doors in 2008.

A celebrity panel of judges led by comedian, author, philanthropist and Disney’s Dreamers Academy Ambassador Steve Harvey reviewed more than 4,700 applications and selected the 100 students for the Class of 2012 Disney’s Dreamers Academy. Judging criteria included exhibiting curiosity, compassion and leadership skills.

During the 2012 Disney’s Dreamers Academy, students will engage in multiple activities, including interacting with a range of industry professionals and experience immersive introductions to various career paths. Disney’s Dreamers Academy students participate in workshops on a variety of subjects, including entertainment, entrepreneurship, the medical field, culinary arts and creative inspiration from Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative gurus behind Disney’s theme parks and attractions.

“We are thrilled to announce this new class of 100 unique Dreamers who will graduate from the Academy with a whole new perspective on their future,” said Tracey Walters-Powell, executive champion of the program for Disney Parks & Resorts. “We received more applications this year than any other and we have selected an amazing class for this historic fifth year anniversary of the Dreamers Academy.”

“I’ve been with Dreamers Academy from day one and each year the program gets stronger as we add new interactive and experiential components for these students, so to hit the five-year mark is quite an accomplishment,” said Steve Harvey, who has served as Ambassador of Disney’s Dreamers Academy since the program started. “Investing and re-investing in these kids each year, you can really see the pay off as they leave the Academy and start to look at their future in a much different and much brighter light.”

Essence Communications President Michelle Ebanks said, “I am not going to divulge any secrets as to what’s being planned for this important fifth anniversary, but if you know anything about Walt Disney World, you know this life-changing event is going to be a truly amazing spectacular for these students and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Proving that Disney’s Dreamers Academy graduates emerge with a new perspective on life and their career paths, two recent graduates from the Class of 2011 Disney’s Dreamers Academy – Diamond Sims of Miami and Princeton Parker of Los Angeles – were invited to share their stories on the popular blog Huffington Post.

“Disney’s Dreamers Academy was a part of my life that I will never ever forget,” said Sims, who is now a freshman at University of Florida. “I met people who are from the same place as I am. I met people from all types of professions who were willing to provide advice, guidance and encouragement. In only a few days, they helped mold me into the young woman that I am today.”

Parker,17, who just started his first year of communications studies at the University of Southern California, said: “Disney’s Dreamers Academy changed my life not only by enlarging my dreams and understanding, but also by introducing me to more than 100 other young visionaries who possess the same drive, tenacity, vigor and capacity to dream.”

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/DisneysDreamersAcademy

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