LBJ School News Brief

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a grant of $306,526 to three University of Texas at Austin research entities to study both economic and workforce impacts on the Space Shuttle Program's capacity to meet its mission from now through 2010.

The proposal was developed by a consortium led by the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. The consortium includes the Bureau of Business Research and the IC² Institute. Together, the partnership will explore how a number of factors—including the rebuilding following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the aging workforce, and the technology job market—could significantly affect implementation of the Shuttle program. The team will develop a series of recommendations and reports to assist the agency to address and minimize mission threats.

"This study is very important to NASA and clearly has the support of top leaders at the Johnson Space Center as well as the facilities most affected by recent hurricanes and the aging of their mission-critical workforce. We expect to provide NASA with findings and recommendations that will help ensure the success of the Shuttle mission," said Dr. Chris King, director of the Ray Marshall Center.

The Ray Marshall Center has been conducting objective research human resource development issues since it was founded in 1970. IC² Institute is a transdisciplinary think tank devoted to solving unstructured problems to accelerate wealth and job creation. The Bureau of Business Research deploys applied economic tools and data to strengthen the business environment and analyze economic trends.

IC² Institute

Bureau of Business Research

NASA Awards $306,000 Workforce Research Grant to UT-Austin Partnership