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NASA is bringing a clear message to the 50th Annual Bayou Classic Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25 \u2013 while exploring the universe for the benefit of all, it is equally invested in ensuring the participation of all in the agency and its discovery work.<\/p>\n
The commitment will be on full display during NASA\u2019s outreach and engagement activities at the Bayou Classic weekend in New Orleans. \u201cOur message is simple \u2013 there\u2019s space for everybody at NASA,\u201d said Pamela Covington, Office of Communications director at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is leading the agency\u2019s Bayou Classic planning. \u201cWe need everyone involved if we hope to accomplish our shared mission and truly benefit all humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The annual Bayou Classic event, which features a football game and a spirited Battle of the Bands, typically attracts more than 200,000 students and supporters from two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) \u2013 Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana \u2013 to New Orleans.<\/p>\n
In addition to signage and social media messaging, NASA Stennis representatives will be on hand during Fan Fest activities Nov. 25 to interact and visit with event participants. Alumni and others will staff a NASA booth at Champions Square next to the Caesars Superdome from 9 a.m. CDT to 12 p.m., to talk about their career paths with the agency and to promote current internship and employment opportunities for minority students and others.<\/p>\n
The outreach and engagement effort is part of an agencywide commitment to advance equity and reach deeper into underrepresented and underserved segments of society and is in support of the Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s efforts to advance racial equity in the federal government. NASA\u2019s 2022 Equity Plan outlines the agency\u2019s efforts to increase participation in areas such as procurements and contracts, as well as grants and cooperative agreements. The agency also is working to eliminate visible and invisible barriers to full participation, and to increase NASA outreach to underserved communities. The agency is scheduled to update the plan and its progress by year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
Frontline evidence of the agency\u2019s commitment to inclusion also is seen in its plan to return humans, including the first woman and the first person of color, to the Moon through Artemis missions, powered by NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. That is just one aspect of the agency\u2019s across-the-board diversity work.<\/p>\n
The NASA Minority University Research and Education Project is another example. Through the initiative, NASA provides financial awards to minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs, to assist faculty and students alike in STEM-related research efforts. The initiative also focuses on providing internship opportunities and career paths for minority members.<\/p>\n
NASA also has launched a Science Mission Directorate Bridge Program to develop partnerships with underserved institutions such as HBCUs and to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the agency. The primary focus is to help transition science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate schools and\/or employment by NASA or related institutions.<\/p>\n
Along the same lines, a new NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize seeks to recognize individuals and\/or organizations that share effective best practices on ways to engage underrepresented and diverse space technology innovators, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs. The initiative is built on the premise that diversity leads to greater innovation, research, and mission success.<\/p>\n
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you\u2019re following it on X, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtags #Artemis, #BayouClassic50, #NASA_HBCUs. Follow and tag these accounts:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n