When is the notification of the 2008 NASA grant winners?

[Cory]

Works fine for me. I'm going to merge this thread with the other one, as a new one is not necessary.

[ShortBang]

so the rookie team near us that we were mentoring, which was a requirement for our second year grant, didnt get a first year grant, and now probably wont compete. does this affect our grant status?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by ShortBang

so the rookie team near us that we were mentoring, which was a requirement for our second year grant, didnt get a first year grant, and now probably wont compete. does this affect our grant status?

My understanding of the grants is that if you are not directly sponsoring a rookie (which you've made an attempt to do), and have expressed a willingness to mentor a rookie were one available to do so, you meet the requirements of the grant.

However, I am no authority on this, and you should direct your question to Cassie Bowman (cbowman[AT]mail.arc.nasa.gov)

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by dkohler

Is anyone else having trouble accessing the NASA site? I wanted to check the awarded grants and cannot even access the site.

I had some trouble earlier, then it worked for a while, and now it is not responding again. Probably just more than the usual traffic.

While it was responding I copied the list:

Team # School Name City ST Status 
     
San Diego Regional Challenge Grants 
1998 Robichuad High School Dearborn Heights  MI  Provisional 
2032 San Diego High Educational Complex San Diego  CA   
2042 Academy of the Canyons Middle College High School Santa Clarita  CA  Provisional 
2066 Southwest High School El Centro  CA   
     
Hawaii Regional Challenge Grants 
25 North Brunswick Twp. High School North Brunswick  NJ   
359 Waialua High School Waialua  HI   
597 Foshay Learning Center Los Angeles  CA   
846 Lynbrook High School San Jose  CA   
2090 Punahou School Honolulu  HI  Provisional 
2348 Moanalua High School Honolulu  HI   
2437 Sacred Hearts Academy Honolulu  HI   
2438 Iolani School Honolulu  HI   
2439 H.P. Baldwin High School Wailuku  HI   
2440 Saint Louis School Honolulu  HI   
2441 Maryknoll School High School Division Honolulu  HI   
2442 St. Andrew's Priory School Honolulu  HI   
2445 Kapolei High School Kapolei  HI   
2453 Hawaii Baptist Academy Honolulu  HI   
2454 Radford High School Honolulu  HI   
2455 Honoka'a High Honoka'a  HI   
2460 Kohala High School Kapaau  HI   
2465 Island School Lihue  HI   
2466 Waimea High School Waimea  HI   
2467 James Campbell High School Ewa Beach  HI   
2475 Parker School Kamuela  HI   
2477 Waipahu High Waipahu  HI   
2504 W.R. Farrington High School Honolulu  HI   
     
Lafayette Regional Challenge Grants 
1985 Hazelwood Central High School Florissant  MO    
2015 Wavecrest Career Academy Holland  MI  Provisional 
2040 Dunlap High School Dunlap  IL  Provisional 
2081 Peoria Notre Dame High School Peoria  IL   
2151 Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy Forest Park  IL   
2171 Crown Pont High School Crown Point  IN   
     
New Orleans Regional Challenge Grants 
2065 H. W. Byers Holly Springs  MS  Provisional 
2078 St. Paul's School Covington  LA  Provisional 
2080 Hammond High School Hammond  LA  Provisional 
2173 St. Stanislaus College Bay St. Louis  MS  Provisional 
2182 Slidell high School Slidell  LA  Provisional 
2190 Petal High School Petal  MS    
2540 South Pontotoc High School Pontotoc  MS    
2553 Pearl High School Pearl  MS    
2556 Niceville High School Niceville  FL   
2580 St. Augustine High School New Orleans  LA   
2581 Carroll High School Monroe  LA   
     
Las Vegas Regional Challenge Grants 
2025 Barstow High School Barstow  CA  Provisional 
2034 Legacy High School North Las Vegas  NV   
2037 AFNORTH International School Brunssum, Netherlands 6445 EE  VA   
2057 Arbor View High School Las Vegas  NV   
2061 Canyon Springs High School N Las Vegas  NV  Provisional 
2139 Southeast Career Technical Academy Las Vegas  NV  Provisional 
     
Milwaukee Regional Challenge Grants 
1984 Shawnee Mission South High School Overland Park  KS   
2039 Rockford Public Schools District 205 Rockford  IL   
2116 Stoughton High School Stoughton  WI   
2129 Southwest High School Minneapolis  MN    
2136 Illinois Manufacturing Foundation Chicago  IL  Provisional 
2143 Immanual Luthern High School Eau Claire  WI  Provisional 
2153 Chassell Township School Chassell  MI  Provisional 
2062 Waukesha South High School Waukesha  WI   
2194 St Marys Springs High School Fond du Lac  WI  Provisional 
2202 Brookfield East High School Brookfield  WI   
2549 Washburn High School Minneapolis  MN    
     
New Program Growth - Second Year Teams (Rookies in 2007) 
1991 University High School of Science and Engineering Hartford  CT   
2002 Tualatin High School Tualatin  OR   
2010 Champion High School Warren  OH   
2014 Hazelwood East High School St. Louis  MO  Provisional 
2016 Ewing High School Ewing  NJ   
2021 Fredericksburg Academy Fredericksburg  VA  Provisional 
2028 Phoebus High School Hampton  VA  Provisional 
2029 Sun Valley Charter High School Ramona  CA   
2031 Walnut Ridge High School Columbus  OH  Provisional 
2035 Carmel High School Carmel  CA  Provisional 
2038 Spalding High School Griffin  GA   
2046 Tahoma High School Covington  WA    
2067 Guilford High School Guilford  CT   
2068 Osbourn Park High School Manassas  VA   
2070 Ridgefield Memorial High School Ridgefield  NJ   
2075 West Catholic High School Grand Rapids  MI   
2083 Conifer High School Conifer  CO   
2085 Vacaville High School Vacaville  CA  Provisional 
2092 Beaufort High School Beaufort  SC   
2108 Green Hope High School Cary  NC   
2119 Sequoyah High School Canton  GA  Provisional 
2130 Bonners Ferry High School Bonners Ferry  ID   
2132 Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High Baltimore  MD  Provisional 
2137 Oxford High School Oxford  MI   
2147 West Valley High School spokane  WA  Provisional 
2149 Central Valley High School Spokane Valley  WA  Provisional 
2152 Spruce Creek High School Port Orange  FL   
2159 San Leandro HIgh School San Leandro  CA  Provisional 
2161 Walt Whitman High School Huntington Station  NY   
2164 Harrisonville High School Harrisonville  MO    
2165 Tri County Technology Center Bartlesville  OK   
2170 Glastonbury High School Glastonbury  CT   
2180 Hamilton High School East- Joseph Steinert Memorial Hamilton  NJ   
2187 Academy for Technology and Academics Conway  SC   
2191 Nottingham High School Trenton  NJ   
2192 Newport High School Newport  OR  Provisional 
2199 Liberty High School Eldersburg  MD    
     
Program Growth - First Year Teams (Rookies in 2008) 
2332 Fairview High School Fairview  OK   
2333 Sapulpa High School Sapulpa  OK   
2336 Cosby High School Midlothian  VA   
2338 Oswego East High School Oswego  IL   
2339 Antelope Valley High School Lancaster  CA   
2341 Gordon Cooper Technology Center Shawnee  OK   
2342 Greater Nashya FIRST Robotics, Club, Inc. Merrimack  NH   
2344 Saunders Trades and Technical High School Yonkers  NY   
2349 Wayland High School Wayland  MA    
2354 Duncan High School Duncan  OK   
2357 Raymore Peculiar High School Peculiar  MO    
2359 Edmond Santa Fe High School Edmond  OK   
2371 Morris High School Morris  OK   
2372 Elgin Public Schools Elgin  OK   
2373 Caddo Kiowa Technology Center Fort Cobb  OK   
2376 Bishop Kelley High School Tulsa  OK   
2378 Taloga High School Taloga  OK   
2385 Wright Christian Academy Tulsa  OK   
2387 Columbus Alternative High Schoo Columbus  OH   
2391 Broken Arrow Senior High School Broken Arrow  OK   
2395 Oklahoma City Homeschool Robotics Team Oklahoma City  OK   
2399 Hathaway Brown School Shaker Heights  OH   
2400 Sheridan High School Sheridan  WY    
2402 James Monroe High School Fredericksburg  VA   
2409 Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School New Bedford  MA    
2411 Joseph L. Meek Professional Technical High School Portland  OR   
2415 The Westminster Schools Atlanta  GA   
2422 Ridge Community High School Davenport  FL   
2423 Watertown High School Watertown  MA    
2425 Hillsborough High School Magnet Tampa  FL   
2426 Mountain Valley Academy part of Ramona Community School Ramona  CA   
2435 Great Plains Technology Center Lawton  OK   
2462 Marine Military Academy Chicago  IL   
2464 Pahrump Valley High School Pahrump  NV   
2468 Westlake High School Austin  TX   
2469 Idabel High School Idabel  OK   
2471 Camas High School Camas  WA    
2473 Cupertino High School Cupertino  CA   
2483 Westover High School Fayetteville  NC   
2488 Studio Academy Charter High School Rochester  MN    
2493 River Springs Charter School Riverside  CA   
2512 Duluth East High School Duluth  MN    
2517 Evergreen High School Vancouver  WA    
2522 Lynnwood High School Lynnwood  WA    
2523 St. Johnsbury Academy St. Johnsbury  VT   
2528 Western High School Baltimore  MD    
2536 Carver Vocational Technical High School Baltimore  MD    
2537 Atholton High School Columbia  MD    
2539 Palmyra Area High School Palmyra  PA   
2542 Gresham High School Gresham  OR   
2545 Columbia Heights High School Columbia Heights  MN    
2546 Digital Harbor High School Baltimore  MD    
2547 Bay View High School Milwaukee  WI   
2548 Genesis High School Milwaukee  WI   
2550 Oregon City Community Schools Oregon City  OR   
2554 John P Stevens High School Edison  NJ   
2579 Long Island City High School Long Island City  NY   
2582 Lufkin High School Lufkin  TX   
2590 Robbinsville High School Robbinsville  NJ   
2595 Wallis Annenberg High School Los Angeles  CA   
2596 James J. Ferris High School Jersey City  NJ   
2597 Sterling High School Houston  TX   
2599 Alternative Education Program Chula Vista  CA   
2603 Highland High School Medina  OH   
2614 Mountaineer Girls and Boys Club Morgantown  WV    
     
     
University Space Grants 
1798 Flowing Wells High School Tucson AZ  
1828 Vail High School Vail AZ

[VanMan]

Team 2108 got the grant, so Team Awkward Turtle is coming back to NASA/VCU with more turtles!!

[Madison]

Originally Posted by ShortBang

so the rookie team near us that we were mentoring, which was a requirement for our second year grant, didnt get a first year grant, and now probably wont compete. does this affect our grant status?

Talk to your regional director about finding funding for your rookie team. It'd be a shame if a rookie team were not able to compete because they didn't receive a NASA grant, especially considering some of the other folks that are receiving them.

[vivek16]

too bad 2264 was not chosen. Guess we'll have to fundraise more

-vivek

[Boydean]

Our team did not get the first year grant from NASA. I was looking through the teams that did and noticed that most of them are solid schools(meaning the school it self is making the team). Since our team is not 100% part of a school but is a full public team with some partnership from the local technical college(as stated in the form), does this at all effect your chances of getting the grant?

[Doug G]

Originally Posted by Boydean

Our team did not get the first year grant from NASA. I was looking through the teams that did and noticed that most of them are solid schools(meaning the school it self is making the team). Since our team is not 100% part of a school but is a full public team with some partnership from the local technical college(as stated in the form), does this at all effect your chances of getting the grant?

From the grant requirements... "Following your registration you will receive one additional request for data at your registered email. In addition to your application submission you will need to supply the following supplemental documentation before November 9, 2007, 23:59:59 HST. We must receive an email from your accredited educational sponsor (school or other educational entity) endorsing the team's desire to apply for funding, confirming the educational sponsor's commitment to the team, and agreeing to the conditions of sponsorship."

Did that happen? I know in the past, only public school teams qualified and when you fill out the application it asks for detailed information regarding the sponsoring school (enrollment, free lunch %, etc...).

On a different note it seems like not as many returning 2nd year teams got the grant or may not have applied for one. Of the 4 rookies in our area last year got a NASA grant, only one got a 2nd year grant.

[Elgin Clock]

Hahahahaha! I was just told about this team and their win of a NASA grant.

Team 2372 Elgin Public Schools - Elgin, OK

That definitely just made my day.

Anyone know where this (undoubtedly) awesome future team is competing in '08?

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Hahahahaha! I was just told about this team and their win of a NASA grant.



That definitely just made my day.

Anyone know where this (undoubtedly) awesome future team is competing in '08?

Oklahoma regional.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by lukevanoort

Oklahoma regional.

Well.. that kinda makes sense now doesn't it? lol
I didn't realize there was a regional in Oklahoma, or that would have been my first guess... I guess.

Cool beans. I think I'll be keeping an eye on that regional's stats that weekend then. Thanks for the info.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Well.. that kinda makes sense now doesn't it? lol
I didn't realize there was a regional in Oklahoma, or that would have been my first guess... I guess.

Cool beans. I think I'll be keeping an eye on that regional's stats that weekend then. Thanks for the info.

Yup, the Oklahoma Regional is one of the new ones this year. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person and hopefully lending a hand. I'll be sure to say howdy to the Elgin team for you, Elgin.

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Yup, the Oklahoma Regional is one of the new ones this year. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person and hopefully lending a hand. I'll be sure to say howdy to the Elgin team for you, Elgin.

Excellent, Jane... I'll be there too, volunteering. Maybe we can convince the Clock-man to venture out.

Oklahoma looks to be one of the hot places to be this year.


Andy B.

[dlavery]

I will not comment on any one particular application and why it did or did not receive a grant. However, I do want to make a few observations about the evaluation and selection process, and offer a few “lessons learned” that might be useful to those who apply for NASA grants in the future.

Having been through the evaluation and selection process several times now, I can tell you that the decisions are not easy, and some very tough choices have to be made about which subset of the submitted applications can be selected and awarded. The processes for advertising, evaluating, selecting and awarding grants and other sponsorships are all run by real people. They put a lot of time and effort into making the best selections possible given the various constraints and requirements that are in place. Some aspects of the evaluation process have to be subjective, and are based on the reviewers ability to extract pertinent information from the application provided by the teams. In many cases, teams can improve their probability of being selected for an award by focusing on a few specific areas of the application. Here are few suggestions:

-- READ THE INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETELY AND THOROUGHLY! This one would seem intuitively obvious, but it was amazing to see the significant number of applications that were submitted were it was obvious that the submission instructions were not followed. As a result, the information provided was incomplete, incorrect, or redundant, and the application had to be declined.

-- There are different types of grants available (e.g. “Challenge Grants” and “Growth Grants”). Each type has specific requirements and limitations on who can receive them. Make sure you read and understand those requirements. Many proposals had to be declined because the team was not eligible for the type of grant for which they applied. For example, no rookie grants were available for the Las Vegas regional for 2008 (as documented in the application instructions). Yet we received several rookie grant applications for this event, which then all had to be turned down.

-- If you have received a NASA grant, make sure you complete all your obligations before requesting another one. For example, when you receive a NASA grant, you agree to provide NASA with a copy of your Chairman’s Award submission and complete the entry/exit survey so we can track the effectiveness of the program. More than six months after the end of the 2007 competition season, many teams still have not fulfilled this requirement. Because they had not complied with the requirements of the 2007 grant, despite several request from NASA to do so, many second-year teams had to be declined that could have otherwise been funded.

-- Make sure that you collect and assemble ALL of the required information before you hit the “submit” button. Many applications had incomplete submissions. The most common omission is the letter from the principal (or other authorized official) documenting institutional support for the team. On average, one application in four did not include this item.

-- Put some honest effort into the narrative answers. The purpose of the narratives is twofold: to encourage the teams to really think through all the preparations they will need to maximize the probability that they will have a successful season, and to provide NASA with information about your team so they can do a comparative evaluation. Remember, when you submit an application for a grant, you are competing with other teams for the grant funds. This year, NASA received more than twice as many applications than could be awarded with the available funds. As a result, the evaluation process looked closely at the quality of the grant application. Teams that provided full, complete, well thought out responses to the narrative questions tended to fair much better than those that gave quick perfunctory answers that really did not support the contention that they were prepared for the 2008 season. When NASA only has enough money to fund a limited number of applications, and some show great care and thought in their preparation and others do not, making the choice between them is easy.

-- Make sure your team is actually registered with FIRST! Submitting an application for a NASA grant does NOT automatically register your team – you need to complete that step separately. There were several teams that had to be tracked down and encouraged to register with FIRST, thinking that an application submission was all they had to do. By the time of the evaluations, some of them still had not registered with FIRST, so we had to decline their applications because they were not an official (FIRST-recognized) team.

-- If you are applying for a Challenge Grant, make sure you are registered for the event for which you are seeking a grant. Challenge Grants are tied to specific regional competitions, and if your team is not registered for the event, it does you no good to apply for a grant for that event. Several applications had to be denied for this reason (again, this gets back to the "read all the instructions" part – this was covered in the submission instructions).

Hopefully, this list will offer a little insight into why some of the applications were not selected for award, and how they can be improved in the future to increase your probability of success.

On one final note, if you do receive sponsorship (from NASA or anyone else), say "thank you." This is not an absolute requirement. You are not under any obligation to do so. You will still be able to get a grant if you don’t do this. But it is an appropriate acknowledgement of the sponsorship being provided, it is both a gracious and a professional thing to do, and it is simple good manners.

I am reminded of a team from a few years ago. As the season started, the team went to great lengths to thank a company that had donated $120 worth of safety goggles to the team for their support. They wrote two thank-you letters, sent a team picture, gave a full written account of the successes of their season, and prominently featured the logo of the company on their robot. All of that was very good and appropriate. But the organization that provided them with $12,000 in direct sponsorship never heard anything from the team. And when the head of the organization (who was familiar with the team) asked "were they happy that we are sponsoring them? Do they want us to continue? Can we be there to cheer for them at the competition?" he was dismayed to hear "we don’t know – they have never spoken to us again after taking the cheque" in response.

The team still got the sponsorship for that year and the next. But the people involved with the sponsoring organization never forgot about the lack of a simple "thank you." And to this day, they still remember who was on that team (both mentors and students), and how they had to make excuses for the behavior of the team to the head of the organization. It is likely that they will be slightly less enthusiastic about doing business with any of those former team members again should the occasion ever arise. The moral of the story: You can build bridges, or you can burn them. The choice is yours.

-dave