During the Astrobiology Science Conference held at NASA Ames in April 2002, less than 1% of the 800 attendees were African-American.  To increase the visibility and participation of underrepresented scientists, The Minority Institution Astrobiology Collaboratory (MIAC) was formed. Since that time the organization has expanded to include a focus on all Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). The formation of the MIAC network reflects the spirit of the collaborative nature of the field of astrobiology. Since the formation of MIAC in 2002 members of the collaboratory have experienced many successes.

Todd Gary is a founding member of MIAC and one of the Co-Directors of the organization along with Benita Bell, currently of MuSPIN at  NASA Goddard. As the Director of the Institute of Understanding Biological Systems (IUBS) at Tennessee State University he is the Principal Investigator for the management of the NASA Astrobiology Institute-Minority Institute Research Support program (NAI-MIRS). Dr. Gary is involved heavily in education and public outreach programs that focus on bringing in support for astrobiology related activities for underrepresented students and researchers.
 
Don Walter is one of the founding members of MIAC and is a faculty member at South Carolina State University (SCSU). He is the Physics Program Coordinator for the Center for NASA Research and Technology at SCSU. He has research interests in astrophysics that include the interstellar medium, star burst galaxies and comets. Donald Walter was selected as on of the 2007 Summer Sabbatical recipients for the NAI-MIRS program. Learn more about Don Walter and his research
 
Tennessee State University undergraduate LaTasha Taylor was the first MIAC student to be accepted for an international astrobiology internship. In the summer of 2003, under the direction of lead engineer Javier Gomez-Elvira at the Centro De Astrobiologia in Madrid, Spain, LaTasha worked in the Planetary Exploration and Robotics lab. She assisted with the design of the drill casing for core sample storage for the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE). LaTasha was part of a TSU student team that developed a stabilization experiment on the NASA KC-135. She has shared her experiences with hundreds of middle Tennessee school children. Learn More about Latasha.
   

 

    
       
       
       
       
       
       

For more information about MIAC, please contact Todd Gary or Benita Bell.