NASA MUREP · RAISE

NASA RAISE

Building pathways from UTRGV classrooms to NASA research through remote sensing, data analytics, training, and paid internships.

Read the UTRGV announcement ↗
$1.2MNASA MUREP award
10Interns · Summer 2025
15Interns · Summer 2026
3Interns · Fall 2026

About RAISE

From learning to opportunity.

Remote-sensing and Analytics for Integrating Science Education (RAISE), supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, builds research capacity at minority-serving institutions. At UTRGV, it develops Earth and planetary science skills through NASA-infused courses, seminars, professional training, and paid internships.

Tian Dong leads the program with co-investigators Chu-Lin Cheng and Engil Pereira, connecting students with NASA scientists and hands-on experiences that prepare them for graduate study and STEM careers.

Interested in RAISE?

For questions about the program and future participation, email Tian Dong with a brief introduction, your current program or background, and your interests. Please mention RAISE so we can direct your inquiry.

01 · Learn

Core curriculum

Earth and Environmental Science courses integrate NASA data and tools. Students use remote sensing and analytics to study questions such as Rio Grande Valley water quality, then apply those skills in fieldwork and research.

Geology field trip group posing along the shoreline of a shallow coastal lagoon
Geology field trip group posing in front of weathered stone ruins
Fieldwork group watching a drone fly above a coastal flat near mangroves
Four field researchers operating a drone beside vehicles on a South Texas dirt road
Geology students and instructors standing on a bright coastal flat beside a lagoon
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02 · Connect

Seminar series

Students meet scientists and professionals from NASA, research universities, and industry while exploring research, graduate study, and career paths.

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03 · Experience

Student internships

In Summer 2025, 10 UTRGV undergraduates completed paid RAISE internships at three host institutions: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and The University of Texas at Austin.

Projects spanned planetary science, remote sensing, spacecraft safety, astronaut health, Earth-surface processes, and microbiology—combining hands-on research, mentorship, and career preparation.

The program includes 15 interns in Summer 2026 and 3 interns in Fall 2026.

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Our community

Meet the lab team.