Feb 1 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-049
SCIENCE TEAM FROM AMES RESEARCH CENTER WINS 2009 NASA SOFTWARE OF YEAR AWARD
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- The NASA World Wind Java computer program developed at the agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., is the winner of NASA's 2009 Software of the Year Award. Software engineers at Ames created the NASA World Wind Java Software Development Kit and Web Mapping Services Server. NASA World Wind Java is an open-source platform used to display NASA and U.S. Geological Survey data on virtual 3-D globes of Earth and other planets. The displayed information comes from satellites, aerial photography, and topographic and geographic data. "I am absolutely delighted the NASA World Wind team has been honored with this prestigious award, said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. The outstanding work of the NASA World Wind team has made a significant and lasting contribution to Ames' technology development portfolio and NASA's leadership in geospatial technology. NASA World Wind is user-friendly, using button or mouse controls to rotate, pan and zoom through models. The program engages the public to learn more about our planet and NASA technology. To better enable government, commercial enterprises, and individual developers to build the applications they need, the NASA World Wind Java Software Development Kit is released under the NASA Open Source Agreement and allows all users to review and test the software source code. Patrick Hogan leads the NASA World Wind team, which includes Pat Moran, Tom Gaskins, Paul Collins, Lado Garakanidze, Randolph Kim, Patrick Murris, Jay Parsons, Chris Maxwell and Rick Brownrigg. Members of the software development team received medals during a ceremony in February at the NASA Project Management Challenge Conference in Galveston, Texas. This year's runners up were the Spacecraft Planet Instrument C-Matrix Events Toolkit from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the Copernicus Trajectory Design and Optimization System from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Honorable mentions included the Nondestructive Evaluation Wave and Image Processor Software from NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the Lightning Protection Design and Verification Tool from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the System Identification Programs for AirCraft from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and the Chief Information Officer sponsor the NASA Software of the Year Competition to identify innovative software technologies that significantly improve the agency's exploration of space and maximize scientific discovery on Earth. A NASA Software Advisory Panel assesses and ranks the entries and reports its findings to NASA's Inventions and Contributions Board. Ames has won or been a co-winner of the NASA Software of the Year award eight times since it was initiated in 1994.
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RELEASE: 10-142
NASA ANNOUNCES EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM AWARD RECIPIENTS
WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded $16.8 million to colleges and universities nationwide to conduct research and technology development in areas of importance to the agency's mission. In addition to the research and technology development, the awards enable faculty development and higher education student support. The selections are part of NASA's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR. The program is designed to assist states in establishing an academic research enterprise directed toward a long-term, self-sustaining and competitive capability that will contribute to the states' economic viability and development. EPSCoR assists in developing partnerships between NASA research assets, academic institutions and industry. A total of 24 proposals were selected for funding in Puerto Rico and the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming. Winning proposals were selected through a merit-based, peer-reviewed competition. Two proposals were selected from each of the following colleges, universities and organizations: College of Charleston University of Alaska, Fairbanks University of Idaho Vanderbilt University West Virginia University Research Corporation One proposal was selected from each of the following universities and organizations: Brown University Louisiana Board of Regents Maine Space Grant Consortium Montana State University System Nevada System of Higher Education South Dakota School of Mines and Technology University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Hawaii Systems University of Kentucky University of Mississippi University of Northern Iowa University of Puerto Rico University of Wyoming University System of New Hampshire For a list of selected proposals, visit: http://nspires.nasaprs.com For additional information about NASA's EPSCoR program, visit: http://education.nasa.gov/epscor For additional information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
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RELEASE: 10-220
NASA SELECTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR INSPIRE EDUCATION PROGRAM
WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 1,895 high school students to participate in the agency's Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience, or INSPIRE. The INSPIRE project is designed to encourage students in grades nine through 12 to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The selectees are from 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They were chosen based on their academic achievement and demonstrated interest in pursuing a STEM education. The students will have access to an online learning community that allows them to interact with their peers, NASA engineers and scientists. The community also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms to learn about NASA career opportunities. The students may also be selected to participate in 2011 summer workshops or internships at NASA facilities and participating universities. The INSPIRE project is part of NASA's education efforts to engage and retain students in disciplines critical to the agency's missions.
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