Wright, Lori

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices5-11-2004UNH MBA Students Mission To Promote TheInternational Space StationLori WrightFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationWright, Lori, "UNH MBA Students Mission To Promote The International Space Station" (2004). UNH Today. 1662.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/166210/4/17, 12)32 PMUNH MBA Studentsʼ Mission: To Promote The International Space StationPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2004/may/lw_20040511nasa.htmlRelated LinksWhittemore School ofBusiness andEconomicsUNH MBA Students’ Mission: To Promote The InternationalSpace StationContact: Lori Wright603-862-0574UNH Media RelationsMay 11, 2004DURHAM, N.H. – Space may be considered the final frontier, but to a group of MBA students atthe University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics, it’s achance to work on a strategy and marketing plan that’s out of this world. A four-person team of UNH students has been named a finalist in the 2004 NASA MeansBusiness Student Competition, a national competition sponsored by NASA to develop a plan topromote awareness and stimulate interest in the International Space Station. Only five schoolsmade the final cut, with UNH the only university representing the greater New England area.The other finalists are from Georgia, Arizona and Texas.The mission: to identify a target audience, develop a strategy and design a promotion plan for theInternational Space Station that explains what it will accomplish and how it is important toeveryday life. The students have been charged with finding a way to promote the space station’srole as a bridge to Mars, technology development, research opportunities, internationalcooperation and future exploration to today’s young people ages 14 to 18 around the world The winning team will be judged on its plan, which will include two video public serviceannouncements, a Web site, Internet e-learning exercises and an outreach program that NASAanticipates using. UNH will present to top NASA officials and staff, contractors,andsubcontractors at the competition May 18-20, 2004, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.Winners will be announced at that competition.According to Ashok Devata, a second-year MBA student overseeing concept design anddevelopment for the project, the students were searching for a challenging activity outside oftheir academic work when they found the NASA competition on the Internet. They chose itspecifically because they all were enthused about NASA and the space program. Devata’steammates are first-year MBA students Sudhir Mulpuru (team leader), David Regan and AnnLarsen.The competition helps the students apply their knowledge of management and the businessworld and its tools of strategic planning and analysis, opportunity-based marketing and productdevelopment, advertising and promotion, communication and journalism.“We were able to use the lessons we learned in our marketing and strategy courses in terms ofdeveloping a strategic plan for NASA. While we have developed a very creative storyboard for10/4/17, 12)32 PMUNH MBA Studentsʼ Mission: To Promote The International Space StationPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2004/may/lw_20040511nasa.htmlthe two PSAs, our approach was highly supported by the marketing information we developedfrom the research we did about demographics and target audience for this marketing plan. It isalways good to try the skills we learn in academics in the real world and see how it works,”Devata said.In addition, the UNH team has partnered with key scientists, engineers and administrators inNASA and/or the aerospace industry and Whittemore School faculty who are acting asinformation sources and mentors. “Developing a comprehensive strategic positioning, promotional plan and outreach program is achallenge to any large business, but trying to construct one for something as grand as theInternational Space Station presents a true test of academic knowledge, creativity and businessknow-how. These students are gaining real-world experience working as a team to convey to theworld’s young people, our future leaders, the significance of this multibillion dollar, internationalproject,” said Michael Merenda, chair of the Department of Management at the WhittemoreSchool of Business and Economics, and the faculty sponsor for the team.

UNH MBA Students Mission To Promote The International Space Station

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UNH MBA Students Mission To Promote The International Space Station

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