Stratos launches BU team to final round of NASA contest
Melina Stratos (COM'08) successfully aims for the stars in a public relations contest for NASA.
NASA recently put teams of students to the test in creating a public relations campaign, and one team of Boston University undergrads led by Melina Stratos (COM’08) was up against other teams of graduate students — and won.
Stratos was the team leader for the seven-member Boston University team, which handled the creative end of the project, and partnered with Bentley College students who handled the business end of the project for the NASA Means Business program.
The BU/Bently team was one of four groups chosen by NASA to attend an orientation session in Houston, Texas and then travel to Florida to compete for the grand prize in May.
NASA Means Business is an annual national competition among college students to create a public service announcement and promotional Web site for NASA.
In Houston, Stratos listened to speeches by astronauts, engineering specialists, and other “head honchos of NASA,” says Stratos. The speakers gave them additional ideas for their projects and “helped [them] put [their] hearts into it.”
The grand prize is a monetary award, a trip to Washington, D.C. to present the project to the heads of NASA, and national airing of their public service announcement on NASA Television.
“It’s great to see everyone working together across schools,” says Stratos. “We made it this far and we’re undergrads…we really feel like we’re part of a professional atmosphere, and that’s amazing.”