About MSGC

The Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) is an Affiliate-based 501(c)(3) corporation and a member of the national network of Consortia in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The network is funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (also known as Space Grant).  Space Grant was established by Congress in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s science and engineering enterprise.

Our mission is to:

  • Improve our Affiliates research infrastructure in areas of mutual interest to NASA and the state of Maine;
  • Encourage more students to consider careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and
  • Enhance NASA’s presence throughout the State of Maine.

Our Affiliates are undergraduate and graduate institutions, not-for-profit research laboratories, state agencies, technology-based businesses and science and education organizations, all of whom help further NASA’s goals while benefiting Maine in many different areas of science and technology.

Through our Affiliates we achieve our mission by competitively funding projects in four national objectives: Research Infrastructure, Higher Education, Pre-College and Public Service.  Specifically, we:

  • Provide scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students studying science and engineering at Maine colleges and universities.
  • Provide seed research grants and travel grants to stimulate collaborative endeavors between Maine researchers and researchers at NASA’s field centers.
  • Provide undergraduate students with internship opportunities at NASA and in the State of Maine.
  • Provide support for in-service STEM-focused professional development.
  • Provide summer internships for Maine High School teachers and students with Maine businesses conducting STEM related research and education.
  • Conduct outreach to Maine schools and communities and promote opportunities in science and engineering research and education.
  • Support informal science education activities designed to inspire future scientists and engineers and enhance public awareness of the impact of S&T and NASA on everyday life.

The Maine Space Grant Consortium is overseen by a Board of Directors that is representative of the knowledge and experience to our mission. Grant programs and activities are guided and evaluated by the Board approved Strategic and Evaluation Plans.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

The Maine Space Grant Consortium is firmly committed to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI). To maximize our program’s effectiveness, we recognize that we must embed these values in our organizational expectations and daily operations.

Ensuring that our programs embody DEI will contribute to the state’s efforts to build its youthful workforce at a time when Maine’s population is growing older.  We also recognize that societal barriers and challenges mean we must initiate intentional measures if we hope to fully realize DEIA in all aspects of our programmatic portfolio.

Our program will continue to strive for DEI by:

  1. Proactively recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce that reflects diversity across all levels of our organizational structure.
  2. Engaging and serving communities and stakeholders that are representative of the broader populations where our programs operate.
  3. Creating and facilitating learning and research opportunities that a) equitably fund under-targeted and underserved universities, faculty, and students, and b) foster learning and research with real-world outcomes that benefit underserved communities.

We value DEI in many forms:

Diversity
We celebrate people of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income and socioeconomic status types. We remain committed to increasing the diversity of our grantees, our program’s workforce and the workforce of the communities we serve. Additionally, we recognize our responsibility to increase the training and development of workforces in under-represented communities.

Equity
We remain committed to equal opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities. We welcome participation and leadership from all people from all communities, including those that have been traditionally underserved or under-resourced. We challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination, and we strive to build awareness and capacities that foster equitable outcomes.

Inclusion
We remain committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs by and for people of all backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking and learning. We strive to cultivate belonging, co-creation, and active participation among our team, partners, and communities. We believe in a flexible and adaptive approach to funding that can bring a diverse set of voices and experiences to the table. Accordingly, we recognize our unique position and responsibility to strengthen the STEM pipeline to college and professional life for students of all backgrounds and abilities.

We expect that implementing a vision for DEI in these and other ways will be an ongoing and evolving process, one which our program will support and prioritize.