The NASA Academy of Aerospace Quality (AAQ) was recently chosen to participate in the 2018 STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] for All Video Showcase, funded by the National Science Foundation.

From May 14-21, more than 200 federally-funded projects will share short videos highlighting their work aimed at “Transforming the STEM Educational Landscape.” The videos will focus on broadening participation and access to high-quality STEM experiences, innovative practices that are transforming education, partnerships that advance education, and research that informs STEM learning and teaching.

AAQ is an online platform for Quality Assurance training for academics, students and commercial space service providers involved in aerospace research, technology development, and payload design and development. The AAQ curriculum consists of 50 Quality Assurance topics, covering all aspects of Quality Assurance necessary to ensure project success during the entire life cycle of a payload project.

Quality Engineering and Quality Assurance use techniques that ensure critical item specifications and critical process conditions are realized; personnel and missions are not put at risk due to a failure to execute critical process steps and controls or as a result of deploying hardware containing defects; and missions are not put at risk due to cost overruns from high rates of scrap, repairs, and rework.

 “The AAQ provides a unique learning framework for students developing payloads, such as Sounding Rockets and CubeSats, to become educated in Quality Engineering disciplines, which are necessary for mission success of their flight hardware,” said Mike Kelly, NASA’s Quality Engineering Technical Discipline Team Lead.

The STEM for All Video Showcase will provide AAQ with the opportunity to disseminate its work to the public at large and connect with other researchers, practitioners and policy makers to gain new perspectives, ideas and contacts in the field.

For more information about the AAQ and its work supporting both NASA and  STEM communities within the university setting, visit the AAQ website or contact Alice Smith at Auburn University.