Nation
GOP Rep. Proposes Partnership Between NASA and U.S. Colleges in New Bill
Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced the Space Research Innovation Act on Friday “to allow the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to partner with universities to conduct deep-space research and mission development,” according to a press release.
While the Department of Defense regularly partners with universities — know as “University Affiliated Research Centers” — NASA has not yet created such permanent partnerships for research and development.
Biggs cites the May 30 SpaceX Falcon 9 launch — in which astronauts launched from U.S. soil for space for the first time in nearly a decade — as his inspiration for the bill.
Falcon 9 lifts off from historic Launch Complex 39A and sends Crew Dragon to orbit on its first flight with @NASA astronauts to the @space_station pic.twitter.com/UOoaKiQaFk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 31, 2020
“Last month, we witnessed an extraordinary achievement when for the first time in nearly a decade, U.S. astronauts returned to orbit in a domestically manufactured spacecraft,” Biggs said in a statement. “Like all Americans, I was inspired by this remarkable feat, and it has encouraged me to think about ways for the U.S. to maintain its edge as a leader in space.”
As space reclaims the nation’s interest with more launches and innovations, Biggs seeks to maximize the knowledge of scientists in NASA and the country’s universities.
“Universities benefit from the prestige and educational opportunities that a UARC brings; NASA benefits from the collaborative research,” Biggs said. “My legislation will encourage more utilization of this mutually advantageous model to foster the next generation of space exploration and discovery.”
With the instatement of the Space Force as the sixth branch of the military and U.S. senators moving to make UFO information public, space is becoming a more familiar conversation in politics for the first time in decades.
🚀👨🏼🚀 For the first time in history, @NASA_Astronauts launched to the @Space_Station from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft.
Relive our #LaunchAmerica mission with @AstroBehnken & @Astro_Doug: https://t.co/20CMS9UshG pic.twitter.com/B9Vf18f9yv
— NASA (@NASA) June 1, 2020
Biggs sees these potential partnerships as beneficial for both NASA and the schools’ goals and missions.
“In many ways, these institutions are a perfect partner for NASA. Not only do American universities benefit from some of the world’s best scientists, they are also natural incubators of multidisciplinary research and private sector cooperation,” Biggs said. “Best of all, NASA missions affiliated with universities have a proven track record of reaching completion on-time and on-budget.”
education
Parents, advocates call on leaders to step down after ZERO children pass math at 13 Baltimore state schools
How long will leaders who let our children down blame Covid-19 for their failures? Anger swept across Baltimore, Maryland, after not a single student passed their state math exams, and almost 75 percent testing at the lowest possible score.
The Daily Mail reports “The poor performances came in the latest round of Maryland‘s state testing, where 13 high schools in the city – a staggering 40 percent – failed to produce a single student with a ‘proficient’ score in math.” Baltimore City Schools not only received $1.6 billion last year from taxpayers, but the school district also received $799 million in Covid relief funding from the federal government.
“So, it’s not a funding issue. We’re getting plenty of funding,” said Jason Rodriguez, deputy director of Baltimore-based nonprofit People Empowered by the Struggle, to Fox Baltimore. “I don’t think money is the issue. I think accountability is the issue…This is educational homicide, there is no excuse for the failure, which has come after years of warnings over the city’s poor education standards,” added Rodriguez.
A bombshell study published this month by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) found that 16 million students were chronically absent during the pandemic. “The millions of students had missed more than 10 percent of schools days during the 2021-22 year, twice the number seen in previous years. More than eight in 10 public schools also reported stunted behavioral and social-emotional development in their students due to the pandemic, according to a May survey cited in the report.”
However, six years ago a similar report by Project Baltimore found that 13 schools in the city had zero students test ‘proficiently’ in math. An almost identical finding. “We’re still dealing with these same issues year after year,” Rodriguez continued. “It’s just scary to me and alarming to me because we know that what’s happening now, you know, it’s just opening up the floodgates to the school-to-prison pipeline. I’m beyond angry… This is why we’ve been calling for the resignation of the school CEO.”
Daily Mail notes that Rodriguez’s group has previously held rallies over the mounting educational crisis in the city, and in 2021 led calls for Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises to resign over low test scores and falling graduation rates.
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