The Collier Report of U.S. Government Contracting

Sampling of Federal Government Funding Actions/Set Asides

In order by amount of set aside monies.

• $249,985 - Monday the 20th of April 2015
  National Aeronautics And Space Administration
  NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER
  THE SOUTH CAROLINA NASA EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (EPSCOR) REQUESTS FUNDING OF $250,000 OVER TWO YEARS TO FUND FACULTY AND STUDENTS AT MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSI) TO PARTICIPATE IN NASA DIRECTED RESEARCH. THE SOUTH CAROLINA JOINT VENTURE (SC JOVE) PROGRAM PROVIDES FACULTY AND THEIR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO CONDUCT NASA-RELATED RESEARCH DURING THE SUMMER AND ACADEMIC YEAR, THEREBY "...ADVANCING HIGH QUALITY STEM EDUCATION USING NASA'S UNIQUE CAPABILITIES," WHILE ENABLING "...PROGRAM AND INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILITIES TO CONDUCT NASA'S AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACTIVITIES." BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY GROUPS AND NASA IS CRITICAL BOTH FOR NASA AND FORTHE STATE. ACCORDING TO THE COMMITTEE ON MEETING THE WORKFORCE NEEDS FOR THE NATIONAL VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION, "IF NASA AND INDUSTRY DO NOT ACTIVELY SEEK OUT EMPLOYEES FROM NONTRADITIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, THEY WILL MISS OUT ON THE GROUPS THAT ARE GROWING MOST RAPIDLY IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THEIR WORKFORCES WILL LOOK LESS AND LESS LIKE THE U.S. POPULATION AS A WHOLE" (BUILDING A BETTER NASA WORKFORCE: MEETING THE WORKFORCE NEEDS FOR THE NATIONAL VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION, 2007). IN ADDITION, THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES COMMITTEE MEMBERS UNANIMOUSLY NOTED IN RISING ABOVE THE GATHERING STORM, REVISITED (2010), "...THAT OUR NATION'S OUTLOOK HAS WORSENED." THEIR CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THAT FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS ENCOURAGE CITIZENS TO PURSUE DEGREES IN SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING AND WE MUST DOUBLE OUR FUNDS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) RESEARCH. BY PROMOTING PROGRAMS SUCH AS THIS SCJOVE PROGRAM, THE SC NASA EPSCOR PROGRAM WILL ADVANCE THE NATION AND NASA'S AGENDA! LESS THAN 15% OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES PURSUE UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS, SPECIFICALLY THOSE IN THE HARD SCIENCES. THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA FALLS BELOW THIS NATIONAL AVERAGE, AS WELL AS THE EPSCOR STATES' AVERAGE, WITH ONLY 0.7% OF DEGREES AWARDED IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING. GIVEN THESE STATISTICS, WE CAN STATE THAT THERE IS A DEFINITE GAP BETWEEN UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES AND UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES AWARDED IN STEM. THROUGH THE SC JOVE PROGRAM, WE CAN ENGAGE STUDENTS FROM MSIS IN NASA STEM RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, THEREBY IMPROVING THE RETENTION OF STUDENTS IN STEM DISCIPLINES (OUTCOME 6.1). SOUTH CAROLINA'S ECONOMIC PLAN CALLS FOR INCREASED RESEARCH IN HIGH-TECH FIELDS SUCH AS ENGINEERING, BIOTECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION SCIENCES, AND NANOTECHNOLOGY. BOEING HAS RECENTLY ESTABLISHED A MANUFACTURING PLANT FOR THE 787 DREAMLINER IN CHARIESTON, SC. BOEING AND OTHER AEROSPACE INDUSTRY IN THE STATE ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED OFA SKILLED WORKFORCE. A MAJOR OBSTACLE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH IS THE LACK OFA TRAINED WORKFORCE CAPABLE OF WORKING IN THESE AND OTHER HIGH-TECH FIELDS. CRUCIAL IN DEVELOPING SOUTH CAROLINA'S WORKFORCE IS STRENGTHENING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES BY DIRECTLY INVOLVING FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN STEM RELATED RESEARCH. THIS PROPOSAL'S EMPHASIS ON BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN NASA AND SC MSI FACULTY AND STUDENTS BY ENTRENCHING THEM IN NASA CENTER ACTIVITIES INCREASES THE POTENTIAL NUMBERS OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE, SPECIFICALLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, THAT CAN FURTHER SOUTH CAROLINA'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE SCJOVE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF 5 PRIMARY PHASES, WHICH ARE OUTLINED BELOW.

  ---