President Kenneth Kitts and David Burns, director of Marshall’s Space Flight Center’s science and technology office, signed a space-act agreement which will allow collaboration between NASA and the university.

“Today, we celebrate the beginning of a relationship with the national aeronautics space administration,” said Kitts. “The signing of the agreement will formalize the relationship between UNA and NASA. We view this at the first step of what we hope will be a long and wonderful partnership. The students will be the primary beneficiary of this relationship.”

Burns said every discipline is imperative to the skillset necessary to accomplish these goals.

“Students here will have the opportunity to research some of those patents and conduct a market analysis and develop business plans — a real-world experience for young entrepreneurial individuals,” he said.

Burns said the purpose of the agreement is to focus on patents NASA has available and to help to figure out a better way to grow an intellectual capital that is creative to build rockets and spaceships.

Students are smart, engaged and thirsty for this chance to expand their passions, said Carmen Burkhalter, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“We want to say that when you guys need those scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technical writers, we’ll be there because our students are ready and they are very enthusiastic, so we appreciate this relationship,” she said.