by Lynn Lofton - SUN HERALD

As a way of strengthening its ties with the state’s public universities, a group from NASA’s Stennis Space Center paid a visit recently to Jackson State University while visiting the state capitol. Representatives of the space center visit other university campuses from time to time.
University Affairs Officer Nathan Sovik said the delegation took advantage of the capitol trip to visit JSU, meet with faculty members and the university president. Stennis’ new director, Arthur Goldman, led the group.
“While there, we wanted to maximize the new director’s time and decided to pay a visit to Jackson State,” Sovik said. “We also toured their research facilities to see their physical plant and capabilities.”
He added that over the years all of the public four-year schools have been visited and those visits will continue as opportunities arise. There is no set schedule. He said the four-year schools, some community colleges along with some out-of-state schools are involved with Stennis Space Center in many ways.
“The SCC Center of Higher Learning runs courses by the Pearl River Community College, the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State University and the University of New Orleans,” he said.
MSU has on-site personnel in its Geosystems Research Institute facility, USM has a large presence with its visualization and oceanography facilities.
“We work with others, including Ole Miss, various community colleges, Tougaloo College and others both in and out of state,” Sovik said. “It varies from year to year as grants are established and cooperative agreements are arranged. We also work with the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium and other states’ space grant programs to place faculty and students here for summer internships.”
The space center has a long-standing relationship with Jackson State through an education resource center at the university. During the visit, JSU President Ronald Mason, Jr., talked about the growth of JSU’s School of Engineering, which was founded in 2000, and the way its new building is helping raise the university’s profile.