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For a summary of our current efforts and future goals, please see the NASA Academy Alumni Association brochure.

The Soffen Fund Travel Grant

In the spirit of dedication to the growth of young scientists and engineers embodied by Gerald Soffen throughout his life, the Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education offers Student Travel Grants. The Travel Grants are awarded to students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in aerospace-related sciences or engineering fields (astrobiology, astronomy, earth and space science, engineering, etc.) to attend a meeting at which they will present their research.

Sponsoring NASA Academy Events

This year, we provided partial funds for the Family Day event at the NASA Academy Goddard Space Flight Center. In the future, we hope to provide funding for more events at all NASA Academy program locations. Further, NAAA members currently employed at NASA JPL are trying to start a NASA Academy program at JPL. We are currently implementing a fundraising campaign to help contribute to these efforts.

Application Recruitment

We are about to start our annual application recruitment campaign for NASA Academy 2009. NASA Academy Alumni association volunteers will go to nearby colleges discuss the program and any other NASA summer programs with which they've been involved. More information about the NASA Academy program...

Mentorship

This program facilitate communication between NASA Academy research assistants and alumni who are in the same line of work and/or have the same research and career interests. These efforts create a more interconnected, vibrant Academy community, while providing career and leadership advice to new Academy participants. This program has been on-going for the past few years; this year (2008), we successfully matched up a record number of mentors, with 35 NAAA members acting as mentors. Next year, we hope to start a high school mentorship program to help increase the interest in and understanding of math, the sciences, and engineering.

Space Grant Presentations

This is on ongoing effort to update the Directors of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program consortiums in each state on the status of the NASA Academy programs and the progress of the NAAA. At least once a year, the NAAA makes a presentation to the directors of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program.

Presentation to the National Council of Space Grant Directors, 9 October 1997
Presentation to the National Council of Space Grant Directors,15 March 1997
Newsletter Presented at the March 1997 Meeting
Fact Sheet Presented at the March 1997 Meeting