JPL Partners with Cal State LA to Boost STEM Diversity Through NASA Grant

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena is spearheading a new partnership with California State University, Los Angeles to diversify the STEM workforce. The collaboration, funded by a $300,000 NASA grant, will focus on supporting students from underprivileged communities in the greater Los Angeles area.

JPL scientists will work closely with Cal State LA faculty on this two-year project to strengthen the university’s research capacity in remote sensing. This technology, crucial for studying Earth’s surface using satellite imagery, will be at the core of the students’ learning experience.

“It will provide great opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to be involved in NASA-related research activities in partnership with JPL and research collaborations between our faculty and JPL scientists,” said Jingjing Li, the grant’s lead principal investigator and associate professor at Cal State LA. Li, a Pasadena resident, earned her Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine.

JPL’s expertise will guide research focusing on analyzing extreme weather events and environmental conditions in Southern California using satellite and ground-based sensor data. The team will also study the impact of wildfires on vegetation, soil, and water resources in the region.

JPL will host a 10-week summer internship as part of a year-long research program, providing students with hands-on experience at the space research facility. Alireza Farahmand, assistant professor at Cal State LA, joins Li as co-principal investigator on the project.

JPL’s involvement is part of NASA’s broader $3.9 million MOSAICS program, established in 2022 to improve diversity and inclusion in science and engineering fields. The program targets Hispanic-serving institutions like Cal State LA, historically Black colleges and universities, and other underrepresented communities.

JPL’s commitment to this initiative reflects NASA’s goal of fostering a more inclusive STEM pipeline and expanding opportunities for future scientists and engineers in space exploration and Earth science research.