For Immediate Release
September 22, 2010

Cañada College Receives $450,000 Grant to Provide Student Research Opportunities With NASA

The partnership will help contextualize math and engineering coursework and prepare students to work for NASA and space industry partners.

Cañada College has received a three-year, $450,000 grant to improve student success in math and engineering courses by contextualizing the learning through a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students,” said Amelito Enriquez, professor of engineering at Cañada College and principal investigator on the grant. It will also contribute to NASA’s goals of attracting and retaining STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students, developing the nation’s STEM workforce, engaging Americans in NASA’s mission, and building strategic partnerships and linkages.

NASA will provide the college with $150,000 per year over the next three years to help create opportunities for minority students in engineering technology and science. Cañada College has a high number of female and ethnic minority STEM students.

Beginning next summer, nine Cañada students will have the opportunity to conduct research alongside NASA scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center. Additionally, four Cañada students will be sponsored to participate in San Francisco State University’s year-long capstone senior design courses.

“These are courses designed for college seniors,” Enriquez said. “This grant enables us to provide community college students a hands-on research experience with NASA Ames researchers and senior-level engineering design courses. This will better prepare our students not only for transfer to four-year colleges and universities but for the workplace.”

Enriquez said the grant will also strengthen existing faculty relationships with the NASA Ames Research Center and establish new collaborative relationships among two-year and four-year engineering faculty.

Enriquez recently received a two-year, $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help improve community college engineering education around the state and to develop partnerships for joint engineering programs through the use of distance education.

“Cañada College is quickly becoming the center for engineering education among California community colleges,” said Cañada College President Thomas Mohr. “The opportunity for community college engineering students to work side-by-side with NASA researchers is unbelievable. Professor Enriquez has done a remarkable job in providing educational opportunities that aren’t normally available to community college students.”

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340