Once Again It is Clear: CASIS Is Inept
Genes in Space Competition Launches, New England Biolabs
“Genes in Space, a competition aimed at fostering creativity, collaboration and critical thinking among young innovators opened a call for entries today. The competition challenges U.S. based students in grades seven through 12 to design an experiment that can solve a space exploration problem through DNA analysis. The competition is sponsored by miniPCR, Math for America (MA), Boeing, The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB). The winning experiment will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS).”
Keith’s note: If you go to the CASIS website there is no mention of this competition. There is no mention of this cool idea at the NASA ISS National Laboratory website. No mention on Twitter at @ISS_CASIS or @ISS_Research. When it says that CASIS has sponsored this activity does that mean that they wrote a check? $15,000,000 a year and CASIS can’t even tell people what they are doing with all this money?
CASIS is going to be briefing Mike Suffredini’s replacement Kirk Shireman. Maybe they can explain their chronic under-performance to Shireman on simple things such as this.
Keith’s update: @ISS_CASIS tweeted something late in the day – still nothing on their website etc.
I thought that CASIS was paying big money for premium management staff AND they were paying for a high powered consultant.. how can they be inept?
They forgot to pay anyone to do the actual work…
Keith,
You know I’m not normally the first person to jump to CASIS’ defense about anything. But in this specific instance, is it possible that CASIS allowed the projects’ sponsors to announce it first, and they’re planning to follow up? Sort of like the way subcontractors wait to put out their press releases after the prime does, who puts out a release only after NASA or the Air Force does.
If they haven’t put out anything tomorrow, then you’re 100% right.
– Jim
They tweeted something late in the day. Still no mention on their website etc. as previously noted. They are inept – and NASA knows that they are.
24 hours. Still nothing on CASIS website, ISS National Lab website – no tweets from @ISS_Research or @NASA. Just one lone tweet last evening after east coast folks were heading home for dinner – hours after the release was posted by others.
Just a question at this point CASIS is getting skewered on this forum regularly. If I were them, at some point, I would be monitoring this site regularly. Yes that is inept. You roll out something first sure by a contractor, but you are ready to go live on twitter and the web site. I guess they believe they are immune from scrutiny.