{"id":15982,"date":"2026-07-02T12:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/?p=15982"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:36:14","slug":"nasa-murep-program-shows-growth-in-its-fourth-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/nasa-murep-program-shows-growth-in-its-fourth-year\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA MUREP Program shows growth in its fourth year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Students from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s NASA HAWKS Minority University Research and Education Project Precollege Summer Institute (MUREP PSI) participate in an experiment with UMES faculty member Dr. Kausik Das during the two-week session. This year’s program, which is for high school students in grades nine through 12, will run from July 12-24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

High school students from underprivileged and underrepresented communities around the country are arriving at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore this July to participate in a two-week residential STEM program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NASA-sponsored HAWKS Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Precollege Summer Institute launched in 2023, growing each year and attracting participants far beyond the Eastern Shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had high school students from Georgia, North Carolina, New York and even Louisiana come to participate in the program because the demand has been high,\u201d said HAWKS MUREP director Dr. Joseph Arumala<\/strong>. \u201cWhen we wrote the grant in 2023, it was only for 16 students. This year, we\u2019ve accepted 20.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s HAWKS MUREP program, which runs from July 12-24, allows attendees to receive mentoring and instruction from UMES professors and NASA engineers and scientists at UMES and NASA facilities at no cost to the students or their families. This year\u2019s applicants were chosen following an April application submission deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding for the program is through a $425,000 NASA grant awarded to UMES in 2023<\/a> to help high school students from traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities gain a path towards STEM-based careers in NASA and the workforce. UMES was one of 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities to earn funding from NASA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the grant sunsetting in 2027, Arumala said UMES plans to apply for an additional grant to expand the scope of the institute as it increases the number of students the program accepts. Next year, the program hopes to accept as many as 32 students.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A student from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore NASA HAWKS Minority University Research and Education Project Precollege Summer Institute (MUREP PSI) participates in a dry ice experiment led by UMES faculty member Dr. Kausik Das. This year’s program, which is for high school students in grades nine through 12, will run from July 12-24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As part of the student experience, students will live on campus and participate in several sessions that include SAT prep from UMES faculty, in-lab instruction, visits to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and the National Air and Space Museum, workshops, and ultimately, a closing ceremony that includes a final presentation by the participants in front of their peers and parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arumala, a professor and director in UMES\u2019 Department of the Built Environment, said that students will also learn soft skills in addition to the STEM experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThings such as critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, goal setting and time management are important to helping these young people reach their potential,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, reaching that potential may not always include a future in STEM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ibibia Dabipi<\/strong>, a professor in UMES\u2019 Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences, said that even if a STEM career isn\u2019t in the cards, the program still has its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things we want to emphasize to anyone who participates is that it\u2019s okay not to be a scientist,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want them to make sure that when you find a career path, you have the right mindset in order to pursue it with vigor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arumala said he hopes that a major takeaway of the program for participants is the ability to build confidence and gain the necessary tools for future success. \u201cWe try to advise students whether there is an interest in STEM later on or not,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing these young people grow up and be able to thrive in the workforce is our biggest pride.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

High school students from underprivileged and underrepresented communities around the country are arriving at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore this July to participate in a two-week residential STEM program. The NASA-sponsored HAWKS Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Precollege Summer Institute launched in 2023, growing each year and attracting participants far beyond the…Read more NASA MUREP Program shows growth in its fourth year<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1559,"featured_media":15986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1559"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15982"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}