Beth Schmid
Headquarters, Washington, DC                    June 11, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1760)

Laura-Lee Davidson
Quality Education for Minorities Network, Washington, DC
(Phone:  202/659-1818)

RELEASE:  98-102

NASA 1998 SHARP PLUS APPRENTICES SELECTED

     NASA and the Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM) 
have selected 240 high school students to be apprentices in 
science and engineering research activities beginning June 15, as 
part of NASA's 1998 SHARP PLUS Research Apprenticeship Program.

     Now in its sixth year, the goal of the SHARP PLUS program is 
to increase, strengthen, and diversify the pool of students for 
mathematics, science, and engineering college majors and careers.  
It also will enable students, under the guidance of industry - or 
university-based mentors, to spend June 15 through Aug. 7 in 
residence at twelve universities that have joined with NASA and 
the QEM.

     The twelve participating universities are:

California State University, Los Angeles; Cornell University, 
Ithaca, NY; Hampton University, Hampton, VA; Morgan State 
University, Baltimore, MD; Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA; 
North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro; Southern University at 
Baton Rouge, LA; Texas A&M University, College Station; University 
of Cincinnati, OH; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; 
University of Wisconsin, Madison.

     Chosen from over 1,000 applicants, this year's apprentices 
represent 180 high schools and come from 34 states; Puerto Rico; 
Guam; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and a U.S. military base in 
Germany.

     The program is administered by the QEM for NASA's Education 
Division, which is tasked to promote excellence in America's 
education system.  The QEM is a nonprofit organization dedicated 
to improving the education of minorities and other 
underrepresented groups throughout the nation.

     The list of participating high school students and their home 
states is available on the Internet at URL: 
   ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-102a.txt

                            -end-