(c) DECADAL SURVEY.—The Administrator shall 
enter into an arrangement with the National Academies 
for a decadal survey study to make recommendations for 
research and development priorities for NASA’s space 
technology program over the next decade. Included in the 
decadal survey shall be an identification and prioritization 
of key technology research and development activities 
needed to enable a robust exploration technology program, 
from basic research and development through flight dem-
onstrations. The Administrator shall transmit the results 
of the study to the Congress not later than 20 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
TITLE VI—EDUCATION AND 
OUTREACH 
SEC. 601. STEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to create the diverse, 
skilled scientific and technical workforce essential to meet-
ing the challenges facing NASA and the Nation in the 
21st century, the Administrator shall develop, conduct, 
support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal 
educational and training activities that leverage NASA’s 
unique content expertise and facilities to— 
(1) contribute to improving science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics (STEM) education 
and training at all levels in the United States; and 
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(2) enhance awareness and understanding of 
STEM, including space and Earth sciences, aero-
nautics, and engineering. 
(b) PROGRAMS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
carry out evidence-based programs designed to— 
(A) increase student interest and participa-
tion, including by women and underrepresented 
minority students; 
(B) improve public literacy and support; 
and 
(C) improve the teaching and learning of 
space and Earth sciences, aeronautics, engi-
neering, and other STEM disciplines supported 
by NASA. 
(2) INCLUDED PROGRAMS.—Programs author-
ized under this subsection may include— 
(A) informal educational programming de-
signed to excite and inspire students and the 
general public about space and Earth science, 
aeronautics, engineering, and other STEM dis-
ciplines supported by NASA while strength-
ening their content knowledge in these dis-
ciplines; 
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(B) teacher training and professional de-
velopment opportunities for pre-service and in- 
service elementary and secondary school teach-
ers designed to increase the content knowledge 
of teachers in space and Earth science, aero-
nautics, engineering, and other STEM dis-
ciplines supported by NASA, especially through 
hands-on research and technology experiences; 
(C) research opportunities for secondary 
school students, including internships at NASA 
and its field centers, that provide secondary 
school students with hands-on research and 
technology experiences as well as exposure to 
working scientists and engineers; 
(D) research opportunities at NASA and 
its field centers for undergraduate and graduate 
students pursuing degrees in space and Earth 
sciences, aeronautics, engineering, and other 
STEM disciplines supported by NASA; 
(E) competitive scholarships, fellowships, 
and traineeships for undergraduate and grad-
uate students in space and Earth sciences, aer-
onautics, engineering, and other STEM dis-
ciplines supported by NASA; and 
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(F) competitive grants for institutions of 
higher education (as defined under section 
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including 2-year institu-
tions of higher education, to establish or expand 
degree programs or courses in space and Earth 
sciences, aeronautics, engineering, and other 
STEM disciplines supported by NASA. 
(c) ORGANIZATION
OF STEM EDUCATION PRO-
GRAMS.— 
(1) DIRECTOR OF STEM EDUCATION.—The Ad-
ministrator shall appoint or designate a Director of 
STEM Education, who shall have the principal re-
sponsibility to oversee and coordinate all NASA pro-
grams and activities in support of STEM education 
and training, including space and Earth sciences, 
aeronautics, and engineering. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Director shall be an 
individual who, by reason of professional background 
and experience, is specially qualified to advise the 
Administrator on all matters pertaining to STEM 
education and training, including space and Earth 
sciences, aeronautics, and engineering, at NASA. 
(3) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 
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(A) oversee and coordinate all programs in 
support of STEM education and training, in-
cluding space and Earth sciences, aeronautics, 
and engineering; 
(B) represent NASA as the principal inter-
agency liaison for all STEM education and 
training programs, unless otherwise represented 
by the Administrator or the Associate Adminis-
trator for Education; 
(C) prepare the annual budget and advise 
the Associate Administrator for Education and 
the Administrator on all budgetary issues for 
STEM education and training relative to the 
programs of NASA; 
(D) establish, periodically update, and 
maintain a publicly accessible online inventory 
of STEM education and training programs and 
activities; 
(E) develop, implement, and update the 
STEM education and training strategic plan re-
quired under subsection (d); 
(F) increase, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the participation and advancement of 
women and underrepresented minorities at 
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every level of STEM education and training; 
and 
(G) perform such other matters relating to 
STEM education and training as are required 
by the Administrator or the Associate Adminis-
trator for Education. 
(d) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Director of STEM Edu-
cation shall develop, implement, and update once every 3 
years a STEM education and training strategic plan for 
NASA. The plan shall— 
(1) identify and prioritize annual and long-term 
STEM education and training goals and objectives 
for NASA; 
(2) describe the role of each NASA program or 
activity in contributing to the goals and objectives 
identified under paragraph (1); 
(3) specify the metrics that will be used to as-
sess progress toward achieving those goals and ob-
jectives; and 
(4) describe the approaches that will be taken 
to assess the effectiveness of each STEM education 
program and activity supported by NASA. 
(e) OUTREACH
TO STUDENTS FROM UNDERREP-
RESENTED GROUPS.—In carrying out a program author-
ized under this section, the Administrator shall give con-
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sideration to the goal of promoting the participation of 
individuals identified in sections 33 and 34 of the Science 
and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 
1885a; 1885b). 
(f) CONSULTATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER 
AGENCIES.—In carrying out the programs and activities 
authorized under this section, the Administrator shall— 
(1) consult with the Secretary of Education and 
the Director of the National Science Foundation re-
garding activities designed to improve elementary 
and secondary STEM education and training; and 
(2) consult and partner with the Director of the 
National Science Foundation in carrying out pro-
grams under this section designed to build capacity 
in STEM education and training at the under-
graduate and graduate level. 
SEC. 
602. 
ASSESSMENT 
OF 
IMPEDIMENTS 
TO 
SPACE 
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE 
DEVELOPMENT FOR MINORITY AND UNDER-
REPRESENTED GROUPS AT NASA. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 
into an arrangement for an independent assessment of any 
impediments to space science and engineering workforce 
development for minority and underrepresented groups at 
NASA, including recommendations on— 
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(1) measures to address such impediments; 
(2) opportunities for augmenting the impact of 
space science and engineering workforce development 
activities and for expanding proven, effective pro-
grams; and 
(3) best practices and lessons learned, as identi-
fied through the assessment, to help maximize the 
effectiveness of existing and future programs to in-
crease the participation of minority and underrep-
resented groups in the space science and engineering 
workforce at NASA. 
(b) REPORT.—A report on the assessment carried out 
under subsection (a) shall be transmitted to the Congress 
not later than 15 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—To the extent practicable, 
the Administrator shall take all necessary steps to address 
any impediments identified in the assessment. 
SEC. 603. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL SPACE 
GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOWSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con-
gress that— 
(1) the National Space Grant College and Fel-
lowship Program, established in title II of the Na-
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tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 2486 et seq.), 
has been an important program through which the 
Federal Government has partnered with State and 
local governments, universities, private industry, and 
other organizations to enhance the understanding 
and use of space and aeronautics activities and their 
benefits through education, the fostering of inter-
disciplinary and multidisciplinary space research and 
training, and supporting Federal funding for grad-
uate fellowships in space-related fields; and 
(2) enhancing the National Space Grant College 
and Fellowship Program’s effectiveness will support 
the program’s maximum contribution to NASA’s 
and the Nation’s goals for science, technology, engi-
neering and mathematics (STEM) education and 
training. 
(b) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall enter into an 
arrangement with the National Academies for a review of 
the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Pro-
gram, including its structure and capabilities for sup-
porting STEM education and training, and recommenda-
tions on measures, if needed, to enhance the program’s 
effectiveness. 
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(c) TRANSMITTAL.—The Administrator shall trans-
mit the results of the review to the Congress not later than 
18 months after the date of enactment of this Act. 
TITLE VII—INSTITUTIONAL 
CAPABILITIES REVITALIZATION 
SEC. 701. INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT. 
(a) MODERNIZATION OF LABORATORIES, FACILITIES, 
AND EQUIPMENT.— 
(1) STRATEGY.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall develop a strategy for the maintenance, 
repair, 
upgrading, 
and 
modernization 
of 
NASA’s laboratories, facilities, and equipment. 
(B) CRITERIA.—The strategy shall include 
criteria for prioritizing deferred maintenance 
tasks and also for upgrading or modernizing 
laboratories, facilities, and equipment. 
(2) PLAN.—The Administrator shall develop a 
plan for implementing the strategy in paragraph (1), 
including a timeline, milestones, and an estimate of 
resources required for carrying out the plan. 
(3) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The Admin-
istrator shall transmit to the Congress the strategy 
under paragraph (1) and the plan under paragraph 
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(2) not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPITAL FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a capital fund at each of NASA’s field cen-
ters for the modernization of facilities and labora-
tories. 
(2) SOURCE OF FUNDING.—The Administrator 
shall ensure to the maximum extent practicable that 
all financial savings achieved by closing outdated or 
surplus facilities at a NASA field center shall be 
made available to that center’s capital fund for the 
purpose of modernizing the field center’s facilities 
and laboratories and for upgrading the infrastruc-
ture at the field center. 
SEC. 702. JAMES E. WEBB COOPERATIVE EDUCATION DIS-
TINGUISHED SCHOLAR PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator is author-
ized to establish a national cooperative education program 
to complement existing NASA Center-administered coop-
erative education initiatives. 
(b) APPLICATION
PROCESS.—The Administrator 
shall encourage and seek applications from the pool of 
American students pursuing science, technology, engineer-
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