Orange Coast College has been awarded a $50,000 prize from NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) to host NCAS Robotics: Engineering the Future. OCC is one of nine community colleges nationwide to receive the MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (NASA MPLAN) award.
The prize money will be used to host a week-long, on-campus NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) Robotics Competition in partnership with Southwestern College (SWC) in Chula Vista. OCC has hosted this competition for several years with SWC. NCAS not only supports academic growth, but the program also prepares students for careers in aerospace. OCC students have a track record of being selected for NASA internships after completing the program and may even land themselves a NASA job after graduation.
“We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing collaboration with Southwestern College on the NCAS Robotics Competition,” says OCC Planetarium Director Jessica Artinger. “Having successfully hosted the program for several years, this new funding through NASA's MUREP allows us to make NCAS more robust than ever. We’re especially excited to connect our MESA programs for the first time, strengthening the pipeline of future innovators and creating even greater opportunities for students to explore STEM in hands-on ways.”
MUREP is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with authentic learning experiences to sustain a diverse workforce.
The organizers for the NCAS Robotics: Engineering the Future are OCC Planetarium Director Jessica Artinger, OCC MESA Director Theresa De Los Santos, SWC MESA Director Dr. Mourad Mjahed, and SWC Math Faculty Dr. Minerva Garcia.
NCAS Robotics: Engineering the Future will take place in June 2026.