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1What college and universities are eligible to participate in NASA MINDS?
Any college or university which has been designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) is eligible to apply. If you do not know if your college or university is an MSI, you can ask your Administrative offices OR check the list on this NASA site.
2Are colleges and universities outside the United States able to participate?
No. Unfortunately not. NASA MINDS is reserved for Minority Serving Institutions located within the United States and its territories. If you are an international student you may want to consider exploring NASA Internships and Fellowships as described HERE
3How do I apply?
Go to the Apply page on this website found at: https://nasaminds.org/application/
4What are the requirements I need to meet in order to apply?
You must:
1) Be a student currently enrolled at a Minority Serving Institution.
2) Have the ability to assemble a team of students who are committed to pursuing the project. A team is defined as at least 2 students, but we encourage you to have more. Teams of 6 to 10 students have proven to allow members to dive deeper into specific areas within a project. It is also feasible that an entire class of 30+ students might wish to form a team.
3) Be able to work on the project during the Fall and Spring semesters for 2022/2023.
4) Have a Faculty member that is willing to serve as a mentor to your team.
5) Identify a specific technology or technological issue your team would like to work on that has relevance to both NASA's Artemis program and its Human Exploration Mission Directorate (HEOMD)
1) Be a student currently enrolled at a Minority Serving Institution.
2) Have the ability to assemble a team of students who are committed to pursuing the project. A team is defined as at least 2 students, but we encourage you to have more. Teams of 6 to 10 students have proven to allow members to dive deeper into specific areas within a project. It is also feasible that an entire class of 30+ students might wish to form a team.
3) Be able to work on the project during the Fall and Spring semesters for 2022/2023.
4) Have a Faculty member that is willing to serve as a mentor to your team.
5) Identify a specific technology or technological issue your team would like to work on that has relevance to both NASA's Artemis program and its Human Exploration Mission Directorate (HEOMD)
5What exactly will I do if I participate in NASA MINDS?
You can read the official rules and rubrics at: https://nasaminds.org/rules-2/
In brief here is what you will do:
STEP 1 - LEARN about the Artemis mission and APPLY to participate in NASA MINDS! Organize a team of 2 or more students, get a faculty member to agree to serve as your team's mentor, and identify a technology you would like to pursue that is relevant to the NASA Artemis Mission.
STEP 2 - DESIGN - Spend a semester designing your technology detailed design concept, utilizing trade off analysis, simulated failure analysis, and computer simulations.
STEP 3 - BUILD. Your team will be provided with $1,500 to actually build your design or a prototype during the second semester.
At the conclusion of this program NASA Subject Matter Experts will review your projects. Your team will have the opportunity to be selected for trophies, as well as awards up to $5,000.
In brief here is what you will do:
STEP 1 - LEARN about the Artemis mission and APPLY to participate in NASA MINDS! Organize a team of 2 or more students, get a faculty member to agree to serve as your team's mentor, and identify a technology you would like to pursue that is relevant to the NASA Artemis Mission.
STEP 2 - DESIGN - Spend a semester designing your technology detailed design concept, utilizing trade off analysis, simulated failure analysis, and computer simulations.
STEP 3 - BUILD. Your team will be provided with $1,500 to actually build your design or a prototype during the second semester.
At the conclusion of this program NASA Subject Matter Experts will review your projects. Your team will have the opportunity to be selected for trophies, as well as awards up to $5,000.
6Is there anything offered to Faculty Members who mentor a team?
Yes! Each faculty member who mentors a team which completes the project, will be awarded a $1,000 stipend.
7This sounds like more work. What will I get out of it as a student?
If you ever dreamed of working for NASA or an aerospace contractor, this is one of the best ways to get a head start. You'll be working on technologies of relevance to NASA, your work will be reviewed by NASA subject matter experts, and your participation will make you stand out from your peers. Employers want to hire students with "real world" experience, and the proven ability to contribute as a member of a team.
8Can high school students participate?
Only students enrolled at a college or university designated as a Minority Serving Institution are eligible to participate. Unfortunately high school students are not eligible at this time.
9Can one or more universities partner together to form a team?
Yes. This is allowed provided that:
1) all the universities and colleges that form the team must be Minority Serving Institutions
2) There must be a plan to collaborate either in-person or virtually.
3) Each college / university has a designated faculty mentor.
4) Even if multiple universities and colleges form a team, the maximum amount of funds available for faculty will still be $1,000 total, and the maximum amount of funds available for the team's build will still be $1,500.
1) all the universities and colleges that form the team must be Minority Serving Institutions
2) There must be a plan to collaborate either in-person or virtually.
3) Each college / university has a designated faculty mentor.
4) Even if multiple universities and colleges form a team, the maximum amount of funds available for faculty will still be $1,000 total, and the maximum amount of funds available for the team's build will still be $1,500.