NASA L'SPACE ACADEMY
What is NPWEE
The NASA L'Space Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience or NPWEE is a program that affords students across the USA the opportunity to “learn to effectively write a concept proposal that turns innovative ideas into reality. Gain experience in the process of writing, reviewing, and scoring proposals through the lens of a NASA reviewer. Compete for a $10,000 prize to continue developing your team's idea.” The program taps into many aspects of proposal writing from ideation with quad chats to patent law to proposal evaluation using specified solicitation criteria. The experience is open during the spring, the fall, and the summer. If you are interested to learn more about NPWEE you can check out the program's site or apply here to join the next cohort.
Why we participated
The Ararat Robotics team saw a perfect opportunity to put our talented minds to work. Our aim over the course of the program was to spread awareness about the organization and to establish our stance in the industry through the most reputable source for space tech talent in the USA - NASA. Not to mention all of the benefits of having a NASA-sponsored proposal that directly feeds into the mission of Ararat Robotics. Below is our recruitment presentation and video.
What did we achieve
Over the course of the program, we were able to recruit 3 talented people onto the team, and write the proposal for RAGE - a new generation oxygen extraction reactor for use on the moon with the proposed Technology Readiness Level - TRL 3. The team got an opportunity to work alongside industry experts, like-minded students, John Dankanich, the Chief Technologist at NASA Marshall Space Center, and the NPWEE team led by Dan Garcia and Sheri Klug Boonstra. While not selected for funding our proposal was among the top performers earning a score of ⅘.
What will we do next
Though the team was devastated to learn that we did not get selected for funding we soon realized the unique position we found ourselves in. The entire existing team and 3 more members had the knowledge of the unmeasurable importance of proposal writing and evaluation endorsed by NASA not to mention the fact that we had all of the feedback to turn our non-winning proposal into a winner. By the end of the 4th Quarter of 2022, we plan to restructure our proposal into a publishable research paper and recruit new members, all while we strategize for the new 2023. Stay tuned for all of our news & updates by following our media channels and signing up for the newsletter. If you want to get involved, visit our careers site before November 10th to join our team.
