KSGC — National Activities

From the state level, the KSGC works with groups at the national political and trade-group levels. In this way, a small school for Native Americans, such as the KSGC Affiliate, Haskell Indian Nations University, sends its voice to Washington, to NASA, and to industry, as in the following KSGC national activities:

• NASA Academies

• NASA Robotics Program

• NASA in Kansas FIRST Robotics Competition

  
  The NASA-sponsored USFIRST Robotics Competition encourages Kansas high school achievers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (NASA’s STEM fields) to reach out to peer teams and up to international competitions.

Special NASA funding enabled the KSGC to support Kansas teams in the FIRST Robotics Competition years 2002-2005. FIRST Robotics partipant opportunities increased from 7 teams in 2002 to 11 teams in 2005.

• BEST Robotics Competition

  The KSGC affiliate, the Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, serves as the hub for the BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) Robotics Competition. The Kansas City hub is growing rapidly.

• NASA Section 508 Compliance Policy for Websites
  

• NASA Johnson Space Center Regional Educational Resource Center for Kansas: Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center

• National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program

• National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Strategic Plan, 1996-2000

• National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Strategic Plan, 2002-2006 Executive Summary

• NASA Reduced Gravity Program

  From: Loral O’Hara Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2006 2:12 PM To: Sorensen, Trevor Charles; Hale, Richard D; Ewing, Mark Stephan; Suhler, Sue Cc: Schauf, Zachary Eugene; Pyle, Austin Joseph; Parrott, Benjamin Joseph Subject: KU MGT trip to Houston: Team photos on the web

The University of Kansas Microgravity Team returned safely from our trip to Houston, which was fantastic! We flew on all four days (rather than the usual two); therefore, each team member flew twice. Our experiment had its ups and downs, but we got a couple of good runs. Photos are posted on the NASA website at the following address:

http://zerog.jsc.nasa.gov/studentmain.html (select 2006 Summer College Campaign)

We have a report due to NASA in two months and have an outreach campaign to present. One of our outreach efforts includes presenting at an AE colloquium. I think this would be most beneficial if done earlier in the year, because that would give any interested students time to submit a proposal to NASA for another project, as long as funding is available. We will start this in August 2006.

Thank you for all your support!

Regards, Loral O’Hara, MGT Team Manager

KSGC Affiliate, Pittsburg State University, also sent a team to conduct experiments in weightlessness in spring 2006.

• NASA Strategic Enterprise: Aeronautics Working Group

• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) National Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

• To commemorate the 2003 Centennial of Powered Flight, NASA in Kansas hosted the annual fall meeting of the National Council of Space Grant Directors in Wichita, Kansas, the Air Capital of the World.

• KSGC/KNEP Annual Briefing Visit to Kansas Congressional Delegation in Washintgon, DC

• NASA Revolutionary Vehicle Concept Competition