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Providing Accessible STEM Workforce Preparation to Accelerate Your Future
The Milo Climate Action Academy, sponsored by the Research Grants Program, a program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, and Research Trust, is an online, interactive, solution-generating experience. The training, valued at $1,000, will be provided to participants through a sponsored grant, ensuring no cost to the participants.
The Milo Climate Action Academy is open to all college and university students and early career individuals (who graduated within the last 5 years) who are interested in learning about ways that climate change is affecting Puerto Rico and are willing to contribute to innovative solutions to help mitigate the effects of climate change on communities’ quality of life, people's livelihoods, and all the natural resources within the island.
This 12-session program, conducted over 16 weeks, will train you to leverage space-enabled scientific data to inform how you can make an impact in helping Puerto Rico become more resilient to climate change. This experience provides skills (scientific and non-scientific) needed to access and utilize data sets from space and convert these data into actionable solutions.
What You Will Be Doing:
Terrestrial Challenge
This academy will be anchored to a challenge that is defined by the climate mitigation needs of Puerto Rico. You will work in teams to develop solutions addressing the challenges. The approach ensures focus on regional priorities and can help make change happen in your community!
Remote Sensing Resources
Teams will be taught how to access a variety of space resources that can be used to inform and develop innovative solutions. Information about satellite instruments and their relevance for sustainability and climate resilience will be provided.
Innovative Solution
Teams will prepare a Solution Design document, and demonstrate how their solution uses space resources to address the terrestrial challenge. Teams will present their solution design to a panel of reviewers.
Puerto Rico Focus Areas:
Forest Health and Restoration
Coastal Zone Management
Agricultural Sustainability
Urban Planning and Infrastructure Resilience
Water Resources Management
Program Heritage
The Milo Climate Action Academy is modeled after the highly successful NASA-sponsored L'SPACE Program and leverages a successful, award-winning heritage that has empowered thousands of STEM students attending US colleges and universities to learn industry-standard processes, protocols, and procedures while working on interdisciplinary space-focused team projects. Through this immersive academy training experience, the participants have enhanced their career opportunities to now include both Earth-based and space-based jobs.
In partnership with the Reesearch Grants Program, a Program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, and Research Trust, the Milo Climate Action Academy now brings this amazing opportunity to university students and early career professionals in Puerto Rico, enabling their career pathways in the exciting expanding space economy!
Learn Effective Technical Workforce Teaming Practices
In today’s workforce, being able to work within a multidisciplinary team to optimize a project is a trait that many employers seek in their new hires. The Milo Climate Change Academy uses the context of space exploration for its projects, as it represents formidable challenges with many unknowns. The ability to develop novel solutions to tackle climate change takes a lot of innovation, planning, and teamwork to be successful. In this experience, you will gain valuable practice in teaming as you work through your unique projects staying aligned to taking action against climate change.
Student Testimonial
Grateful for the Academy for providing me with the opportunity to enhance my mission writing style and learn every advanced skill within the mission planning process this Summer! This program has also taught me the importance of being a team player while leading my team. Together, we successfully completed our Preliminary Design Review as a unit.
Yasmeen Shah
Georgia State University
Our Team
Student Testimonial
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in one of my most challenging yet rewarding experiences. After dedicating four months to the Academy, I'm thrilled to announce that I've successfully earned my Certificate of Completion! During this program, I had the privilege of receiving all seven attainable skill badges. These badges have provided me with a wide range of abilities necessary for my professional career, ranging from trade studies to leadership, teamwork, and system engineering techniques, CAD and more.
Nathnael Minuta
Minnesota State University
Requirements for Participation
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Must be a Puerto Rico College or University Student, or Early Career Professional (no more than 5 years post-graduation);
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Participants must be at least 18 years of age or older;
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Participants must have access to a computer or tablet with access to the Zoom platform;
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Participants must have a passion for learning and eagerness to push themselves beyond their current capabilities;
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Participants must be able to devote 5-10 hours per week towards team projects; and
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Participants must be able to attend all LIVE sessions conducted on Mondays from 5:30 - 7:30 PM (AST) beginning on August 19, 2024.
Program Timeline
