Miami, April 26, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC) has joined the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC), a statewide network of colleges and universities supporting the expansion and diversification of Florida’s space industry through grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators in Florida.
“This is a great opportunity that will greatly expand student access to scholarships, internships, competitions, and research with some of the most cutting edge and exciting industries in our state” said Dr. James Poe, MDC engineering faculty member. “We are honored to be a part of the pipeline preparing a new generation of talented students that will address some of humankind’s greatest challenges.”
As members of the consortium, MDC faculty will have access to apply for scientific research projects across the space spectrum. Additionally, engineering faculty will receive support from FSGC and the Kennedy Space Center for senior design projects.
“We are very pleased to have Miami Dade College as the newest affiliate of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. MDC’s range of programs are a perfect fit to FSGC’s mission and objectives” said Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee, Director of the Consortium. “In addition to the FSGC’s opportunities available to MDC’s faculty and students, they can now collaborate with other faculty and students in FSGC affiliated universities.
MDC students will also have access to NASA’s internship programs, which provide training, mentoring, and career development opportunities while working with the best science, engineering, financial, information technology and business minds in the world. Additionally, students can apply for scholarships, and funding for extra-curricular activities, including NASA competitions and club projects.
“It is unbelievable how a world of opportunities opens after you complete one of these programs from NASA” said Luis Leon, MDC student currently completing his second internship at NASA. “The mentorship from MDC helped me to gain confidence in myself. I highly recommend any student to apply for NASA opportunities”.
For more information about MDC’s membership on the FSGC consortium, please contact Carlos Genatios, Chairperson for Engineering at cgenatio@mdc.edu.
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is the most diverse institution in the nation. There are 167 nations and 63 languages represented in its student body. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including associate and baccalaureate degrees, career certificates and apprenticeships. Baccalaureate degree offerings include biological sciences, engineering, data analytics, information systems technology, education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film and others. MDC is the recipient of many top national awards including the Aspen Prize. As Democracy’s College, MDC changes lives through accessible, high quality-teaching and learning experiences. It is the home of the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, the Eig-Watson School of Aviation, The Idea Center, the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, the Cloud Computing Center, the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation, the School for Advanced Studies, and the New World School of the Arts, to name a few of its most innovative programs. MDC has been named among the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” since the program’s inception. The College embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community. Its alumni and employees contribute more than $3 billion annually to the local economy, and MDC graduates occupy top leadership positions in every major industry. MDC is renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is the home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, the Tower Theater, Dyer Building, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, Live Arts Miami at MDC, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, the Museum of Art and Design, a sculpture park and a large campus art gallery and theater system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960. More than 100,000 students are currently enrolled. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu.
About the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium
FSGC was established in 1989 and is a statewide network of 52 colleges and universities supporting the expansion and diversification of Florida’s space industry through grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators from Florida’s public and private institutes of higher education. FSGC is a voluntary association of sixteen public and private Florida Universities and colleges. The Consortium also includes all of Florida’s community colleges, as well as Space Florida, the Kennedy Space Center, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation and the Orlando Science Center. FSGC is administered through the University of Central Florida, which main offices located at The Astronauts Memorial Foundation’s Center for Space Education on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For more information, visit http://www.floridaspacegrant.org.