Goal 5

Building a successful model for collaboration among scientists and educators at minority institutions

NASA MU-SPIN and First MIAC Meeting
The organizational meeting for MIAC was held in September of 2002 and was hosted in collaboration with the Minority University-Space Interdisciplinary Network (MU-SPIN) Project and the University Programs Office of Goddard Space Flight Center. This was the beginning of the MIAC organization.

Office of Space Science
The Office of Space Science funded SCSU's "New Directions in Astronomy and Astrobiology" with Bennett College as a collaborating institution. Resources are allocated for faculty and student research in astrobiology.

Astrobiology Virus Focus Group
The purpose of the NAI Virus Focus Group is to provide a forum where researchers from many disciplines, from both within the NAI and the broader science community can review the current state of knowledge and formulate new areas of research to advance our understanding of how viruses may have influenced the origin and evolution of life. Todd Gary, co-director of MIAC, attended the first meeting of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Virus Focus Group (2003).