School Improvement RFP of the Week (2)

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement (NRA)... solicits basic and applied research in support of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD).... SMD is committed to fostering the broad involvement of the Earth and space science research communities in Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) and contributing to NASA’s three education goals and outcomes:

• Strengthen NASA and the Nation’s future workforce;
• Attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines; and
• Engage Americans in NASA’s mission....

Organizations of every type, domestic and foreign, Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, may submit proposals without restriction on number or teaming arrangements....

The NASA Headquarters Office of Education invites proposals to this Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) to develop, pilot, and administer the Endeavor Science Teachers Certificate Program (ESTCP).... The outcome of this initiative will be a cadre of elementary and secondary school teachers who are skilled in teaching science subjects....

Organizations interested in collaborating with NASA to develop, pilot, and administer a competitive, high-quality, national program for pre/in-service teachers are invited to submit proposals. Under this CAN we are soliciting proposals from domestic higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of organizations and institutions serving students. Partnerships within these institutions and/or organizations are encouraged to apply.

Creating and managing a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. The game would be fun and would enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning. It is intended that this request will result in the establishment of a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement (defined as one with no exchange of funds) that will define the full roles and responsibilities of NASA and the proposing organization....

A successful MMO game that enhances STEM education will be a challenging and innovative undertaking that will require extensive creativity, talent, commitment and significant “outside the box” thinking from NASA and NASA’s partner in the endeavor.

For purposes of this request, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game is considered to be a persistent immersive synthetic environment with built in goals, achievement system and rules. Existing examples of MMO games in industry include EverQues®t, World of Warcraf®t and Eve Online®. (Note: NASA does not endorse or sponsor any of these games; they are cited only by way of example.)