Chris Mattmann has been named University of California, Los Angeles’ (UCLA) first chief data and artificial intelligence officer. Mattmann is not only the first chief data and artificial intelligence officer at UCLA, but the first at any University of California campus.

NASA has awarded seven Women’s Colleges and Universities (WCUs) $5 million in funding to research and develop strategies that increase retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programs and careers.

Late last month, the Department of Education and NASA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) intended to strengthen the collaboration between the two agencies. The agencies pledged to work more closely on their joint efforts to increase access to high-quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and space education to students and schools across the nation.

Florida Institute of Technology’s Office of Research and NASA will host Space Technology Day on the school’s Melbourne, Fla., campus May 23. The event is free and aims to bring students, professors, engineers, business leaders, and technologists together to discuss NASA’s current and future space projects, which include the agency’s plans to explore the moon and Mars. NASA Acting Space Technology Mission Directorate Administrator Jim Reuter and Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk will give keynotes, and other NASA personnel will give technical presentations. The event will also offer information on NASA research grant programs and small business opportunities.