2006 NASA EPSCoR Planning Grants

In early 2006 NASA issued planning grants to eligible NASA EPSCoR states to prepare for the 2007 NASA EPSCoR research competition. We used planning grant funds to support planning grants from the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine in targeted reseach areas. The planning grants are intended for the exploratory phase of highly innovative research projects or aspects of complex projects that (a) are aligned with those of NASA’s Mission Directorates and mission requirements that support the Vision for Space Exploration (www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main/index.html) and (b) the state of Maine’s Science and Technology Action Plan (www.maineinnovation.com/studies_reports/default.asp); and (c) require resources beyond those usually needed for proposal development. 

In preparing planning grant proposals, applicants were requested to be sufficiently advanced in their research project conceptualization in order to present a developed outline, including the suggested approach of the final project and a clear description of the planning activity's outcomes and methods that will lead to the development of nationally or regionally competitive research collaborations.  Each planning grant proposal must provide sufficient description on how the applicant intends to create a developmental plan outlining the goals, objectives, strategies, workplan and outcomes to build the research area to national prominence.  Each planning grant proposal had to address the following:

• Establish a collaborative research team among research institutions, K-12 education, government agencies, and business and industry that are distributed throughout the State.
• Establish collaborative arrangements with research mentors at one or more NASA field centers
• Integrate research and education at both the higher education and K-12 levels.

• Establish strategies for increasing the participation of undergraduate and/or graduate students, women and underrepresented groups, including persons with disabilities, in the proposed research activities.

• Conduct outreach to the public, K-12 community, Private Sector, State Government including the Legislature to explain the research program, the benefits to the S&T community and to the State of Maine and to contribute to other efforts to inspire young students to consider careers in science and engineering careers.

• Develop a comprehensive evaluation and assessment plan including metrics and milestones to assess and evaluate demonstrable impacts and achievements on the science and technology enterprise, both during and after the full NASA EPSCoR award period.

• Develop a plan for long-term sustainability of the proposed research activity.  In this plan, applicants must describe clearly, with milestones, the strategy for sustaining the impacts and achievements in the science and technology enterprise subsequent to NASA EPSCoR support.

Each proposal was subjected to a peer review process by the Consortium. Two planning grant awards to the University of Maine and one to the University of Southern Maine were issued. Click on the links below to view a narrative of each proposal.

Structural Integrity and Optimal Design of Rigidizable and Inflatable Systems for the NASA Lunar Habitat.

Principle Investigator: Vince Caccese, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maine.

Application of Wireless Sensors in Space Explorations.

Principle Investigator: Ali Abedi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maine.

Planning for Infrastructure Development in Astrobiology, Microbial and Viral Ecology, and Bio-nanotechnology at the University of Southern Maine.

Principle Investigator: S. Monroe Duboise, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine.