The Collier Report of U.S. Government Contracting

Sampling of Federal Government Funding Actions/Set Asides

In order by amount of set aside monies.

• $225,000 - Friday the 10th of July 2015
  National Aeronautics And Space Administration
  NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER
  PROJECT IGNITE! WILL INSPIRE, ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE UNDERREPRESENTED MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS (GRADES 4-9) ATTENDING SUMMER AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, USING HANDS-ON NASA CURRICULUM INTEGRATED WITH STANDARDS-BASED, SPACE-THEMED VIDEO GAMES, AND AN EXCITING E-MENTORING PROGRAM. A CENTRALIZED PLATFORM THE PROJECT IGNITE! DASHBOARD WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO NASA-THEMED VIDEO GAMES AND CURRICULUM MATERIALS, MANAGEMENT OF THE E-MENTORING PROGRAM, AND TOOLS FOR COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION AMONG TEACHERS, STUDENTS, MENTORS, AND PROGRAM PERSONNEL. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL BE FOCUSED ON TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES. FIRST, THE PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY, NASA-THEMED SUMMER AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING THAT IS DERIVED FROM EVIDENCE-BASED BEST PRACTICES. IN YEARS 1-4, IT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS PROGRAM, REACHING A MINIMUM OF 2,500 UNIQUE STUDENTS, 150 CERTIFIED TEACHERS, AND OTHER EDUCATORS WORKING WITH STUDENTS IN PROJECT IGNITE! EACH YEAR. IN YEARS 2-4, IT WILL EXPAND TO OTHER PROGRAMS, AS IT SCALES-UP ACROSS INDIANA AND EVENTUALLY BEYOND THE STATE. THE SECOND MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO BUILD A LONG-TERM SCALE-UP AND SUSTAINABILITY MODEL. WORKING GROUPS WILL ENSURE THAT A) PROGRAM QUALITY AND IMPACT ARE CONTINUALLY ASSESSED AND IMPROVED UPON, B) THAT THE PROGRAM BUILDS THE PROPER INFRASTRUCTURE TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT AND COST-AFFORDABLY SCALE (E.G., PROTOCOLS, DASHBOARD INFRASTRUCTURE, COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGES--REGIONAL KITS--FOR REGIONAL IMPLEMENTATION), AND C) THAT A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL IS CREATED TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF THE PROGRAM. PROJECT IGNITE!'S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO ENGAGING UNDERREPRESENTED MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN STEM BUILDS ON THREE COMPONENTS. FIRST, BY INTEGRATING HIGHLY ENGAGING NASA-THEMED VIDEO GAMES INTO THESE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, WE WILL REACH AND MOTIVATE YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW WAYS, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO PLAY STEM GAMES ON THEIR OWN TIME. SECOND, THE PROGRAM LEVERAGES THE NASA WORKFORCE AS E-MENTORS IN AN"INSPIRATION CORP" BRINGING THE EXCITEMENT OF NASA TO CHILDREN, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT NEAR A NASA FACILITY. MENTORS FROM LOCAL STEM BUSINESSES WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. THE VIDEO GAMES PROVIDE A FOCAL POINT AROUND WHICH MENTORS AND MENTEES CAN INITIATE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT STEM CONCEPTS, SPACE EXPLORATION, AND STEM CAREER PATHS. THIRD, PROJECT IGNITE! WILL OFFER TEACHERS, E-MENTORS, STUDENTS AND OTHERS A DASHBOARD INFRASTRUCTURE TO FACILITATE EFFECTIVE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION, SCALE-UP AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAM ARE TO: 1) POSITIVELY IMPACT THE STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT AND INTEREST IN STEM SUBJECTS AND STEM CAREERS, 2) INCREASE THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH NASA AND STEM MENTORS, AND 3) ULTIMATELY TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS PURSUING ADVANCED STEM COURSEWORK AND CAREERS. PROJECT IGNITE!, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASA, WILL SUPPORT CERTIFIED TEACHERS AND OTHER EDUCATORS BY OFFERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN FACE-TO-FACE AND ONLINE MODES. THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS AS AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATORS BUT ALSO HELP THEM LINK THE NASA CONTENT AND VIDEO GAMES BACK TO FORMAL CLASSROOMS. THE PROJECT TEAM IS LED BY THE INDIANA AFTERSCHOOL NETWORK, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, THE INDIANA MENTORING PARTNERSHIP (A PROGRAM OF THE INDIANA YOUTH INSTITUTE) AND WISDOMTOOLS--AS WELL AS OTHER REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE COLLABORATORS. THIS TEAM INCLUDES OVER A DOZEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SUMMER AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, MENTORING PROGRAMS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND STEM EDUCATION GROUPS WHO WILL ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH THIS FOUR-YEAR PROJECT, AND WHO ARE COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE MODEL THAT LIVES WELL BEYOND ITS INITIAL FUNDING.

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