Project Management Institute Educational Foundation Grant Will Fund Space Foundation Initiative for Teachers and Students

The Space Foundation has received a grant from the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) for a two-year initiative to help teachers and students prepare for the demands of the future workforce.

The $192,125 grant will fund an initiative entitled “Out of this World Project Management,” an enhancement of Space Foundation education programs that inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math — and which integrate 21st century skills, including teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, communication and leadership.

“Out of this World Project Management” will target approximately 375 students and 15 teachers in Colorado and in Pune, India, where nearly 30 educators represent the Space Foundation’s international Teacher Liaison program. Using the Space Foundation’s Mars Robotics Laboratory (pictured), located at its Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, and PMIEF’s Project Management Toolkit for Teachers (Toolkit), an 8-hour training program will be delivered to Pikes Peak region secondary school STEM teachers, and delivered virtually to the teachers in India.

The initiative will also fund field trips to the Space Foundation Discovery, where students will learn project management skills while working in teams in the Mars Robotics Laboratory.

“The 21st century demands skills like project management that prepare young people for success in science, technology, engineering and math so they can keep pace with the world we live in,” said Michael DePrisco, PMIEF Chief Operating Officer and PMI Vice President, Global Membership and Chapters. “Our collaboration with the Space Foundation will help students acquire and apply project management knowledge, even as they engage in the kind of hands-on learning that encourages curiosity and ingenuity.”

“The students who visit the Space Foundation’s Mars Robotics Laboratory represent the generation that will send the first humans to Mars,” said Kevin Cook, Space Foundation Vice President – Marketing & Communications. “This grant will enable us to provide the tools they need to effectively execute that mission and other career goals. PMIEF and the Space Foundation are both working to grow an organic workforce, and to empower future workers to realize their full potential.”

Because the Space Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, philanthropy is critical to its education mission to inspire and build a STEM-based workforce and the next generation of explorers and innovators. Learn more about Space Foundation education programs at www.discoverspace.org.

Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF)
The PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF develops, implements and delivers innovative programs to leverage project management for social good globally. These include scholarships, awards and grants, as well as educational resources that strengthen project management knowledge of teachers, youth and nonprofit organizations. PMIEF’s vision that “all people worldwide have a better tomorrow by applying project management skills in their daily lives” comes to the life through the generosity of individual and corporate donors as well as the PMI community. For additional information, visit www.pmief.org.

This article is part of Space Watch: December 2016 (Volume: 15, Issue: 12).