Now Seeking: Proud Alumni for New University Envoy Roles

As one of the hubs for knowledge and leadership in the areas of science and engineering, NASA Johnson Space Center team members have been working with universities across the nation since the inception of the Manned Spaceflight Center nearly 60 years ago.

To continue to grow these relationships and hone in on key opportunities, the center identified 15 universities for sustained strategic interactions starting in 2020. The universities are:

o   Baylor College of Medicine

o   Georgia Tech

o   New Mexico State University

o   Oklahoma State University

o   Prairie View A&M University

o   Purdue University

o   Rice University

o   Texas A&M University

o   Texas Southern University

o   Texas Tech University

o   University of Houston

o   University of Houston – Clear Lake

o   University of Texas – Austin

o   University of Texas – El Paso

o   University of Texas Medical Branch 

All universities were selected after a very careful analysis of Johnson research and technology domain needs, relevant university capabilities, and other important criteria for an integrated centerwide university strategy.

“We have a long history of working with colleges and universities since the early days of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs to help us achieve our missions, and we remain committed to partnering and collaborating with institutions of higher learning to meet our nation’s exploration goals and remain a leader in human spaceflight,” said Johnson Director Mark Geyer. “We’re excited to collaborate with our nation’s universities to prepare the Artemis Generation to build outposts in uncharted territory while revolutionizing the strategies and technologies that will eventually open up the universe.”

In order to enhance relationships with the selected universities, Johnson’s University Collaboration and Partnership Office posted opportunities last fall in the NASA Talent Marketplace for alumni of these universities to play a key role as a “university envoy.” The university envoy position is a micro-detail role, meaning that during the detail, the employee selected to the position will spend approximately eight hours each month working with the university to foster collaboration and promote opportunities to engage with Johnson on STEM research and student opportunities. Throughout the past year, envoys have played an important role engaging with universities and serving as advocates for NASA with their alma maters. 

To continue the efforts of the group, the center recently selected four more universities to begin fostering relationships in fall of 2021. The universities recently selected this year are:

o   Arizona State University

o   University of Arizona

o   University of Colorado, Boulder

o   University of Michigan

The team needs alumni from these new additions to serve as envoys. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity and applying to serve as a university envoy during the upcoming academic year, you are encouraged to view these new micro-detail postings at NASA’s Talent Marketplace.

Quick instruction to access the new NASA Talent Marketplace:

·     Visit Talent Marketplace (talent.nasa.gov). To apply to a position:

o   Click on "Search Virtual Micro Opportunities"

o   View "Opportunities"

o   Select a position listed as "Open"

o   Follow the prompts to apply

Opportunities:

o   15351: JSC University Envoy – Arizona State University

o   15349: JSC University Envoy – University of Arizona

o   15348: JSC University Envoy – University of Colorado, Boulder

o   15346: JSC University Envoy – University of Michigan