Space Grant

NC Space Grant Expands Consortium Membership
ECU is the newest university to join the NC Space Grant, a consortium of academic institutions that promote, develop, and support aeronautics and space-related science, engineering, and technology education and training in the state.
In partnership with NASA, industry, non-profit organizations, and state government agencies, the NC Space Grant conducts programs designed to equip the current and future aero/space workforce in North Carolina.
Other N.C. affiliates include Appalachian State, Duke and N.C. State universities and the North Carolina Community College System.
As a new member of the NC Space Grant, ECU will collaborate with NASA and the aero/space community and strengthen existing relationships.
Led by Dr. John Rummel, the Space Grant program at ECU will use space science and technology as a vehicle to “inspire the next generation of explorers” using ongoing NASA-related research and educational programs at ECU with NC Space Grant-focused activities. The ECU mission is to increase the interest, awareness, and opportunities brought by ECU faculty to develop astrobiology, space science, planetary sciences, and exploration opportunities for university students, first, and thereby reach K-12 teachers, students, and the public.
Rummel is the director of the Institute for Coastal Science and Policy and a professor of biology at ECU.  Prior to his arrival at ECU in 2008, Rummel was the NASA Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, based in Washington, D.C., responsible for leading all aspects of NASA’s program to understand the origin, evolution, and fate of life in the universe.
For more information about the NC Space Grant, visit www.ncspacegrant.org.