Alabama A&M University News NASA MSFC Hosts A&M-Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne Signing Agreement Huntsville, Ala. ---- Officials from a NASA prime contractor and a historically black university met for a signing agreement hosted by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Thursday, July 12, at 1 p.m. The more than $475,000, two-year NASA agreement is between Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., and Alabama A&M University (AAMU) in Huntsville. For AAMU students and faculty, the agreement will mean professional development, internships and exchanges, a lecture series and other opportunities. University officials are calling the agreement historic. Pratt & Whitney specializes in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. The company is developing the J-2X engine for the Marshall Center. According to NASA officials, the J-2X engine is the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen rocket engine to be developed in four decades. It will power the upper stage of NASA's evolved Space Launch System, an advanced heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. "These landmark partnerships have a significant impact on our ability to provide our students the experiences that make them competitive," commented Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr., president of Alabama A&M University. "We welcome the opportunity to play an integral role in the continued success of this project with NASA and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. We also thank our advancement team members for their efforts." Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) such as AAMU are American schools established before 1964 with the primary purpose of educating African-American students. The NASA Mentor-Protégé Program, established in 2008 by NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, pairs large companies with eligible small businesses and institutions to establish long-term relationships, enhance technical capabilities and enable them to successfully compete for larger, more complex prime contract and subcontract awards. Participants in the signing event included Robin Henderson, associate director of the Marshall Space Flight Center; Paul Fowler, director of supply management at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; and Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr., (center) president of AAMU. For more information about the NASA Mentor-Protege Program, contact Angela Storey at (256) 544-0034 or visit http://osbp.nasa.gov/mentor.html. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.