NASA is collaborating with award-winning R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige to encourage young women to pursue exciting experiences and career choices through studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In this first of two public service announcements, Blige appears with veteran NASA space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin.
Both PSAs are now on NASA TV and the agency's website at: http://www.nasa.gov/soi. NASA's Summer of Innovation (SoI) project and Blige's Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) both show students the many possibilities available if they follow their dreams and reach for the stars.
The SoI project is part of the President's Educate to Innovate Campaign. It started earlier this summer to help keep middle school students engaged in fun and stimulating STEM-related activities during the school break.
"Working with FFAWN is a rare opportunity to help spread the STEM message into communities not always readily accessible to us," Melvin said. "Mary's presence can help NASA make the STEM message more appealing to these communities and increase the pipeline of underrepresented students going into these disciplines."
