Plants growing in rows in greenhouse with Sun on the horizon

Arkansas Space Grant Consortium Grant Research Award: “Is a Martian greenhouse possible?”

The Arkansas Space Grant Consortium board voted to fund Dr. Gija Geme, Dr. Tim Schroeder of chemistry, and Dr. Copie Moore of agriculture on a joint venture to explore the feasibility of growing crops such as soybeans, corn, lettuce, kale, and more, in a Mars soil simulant that is improved with fertilizer to add micronutrients. The team received $50,000 from NASA funding through Arkansas Space Grant Consortium in the spring of 2023.

This project aims to measure heavy metal uptake by plants using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy analysis. The soil on Mars is almost entirely made up of mineral matter with small amounts of water and no organic matter. NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity, showed that the mineral matter in Martian soil comes from the weathered volcanic rock of mineralogy similar to weathered basaltic soils of volcanic origin in Hawaii. Martian soil is reddish and sandy overall because it contains a significant amount of iron oxides (rust) throughout the planet’s surface since global dust storms move and redistribute the soil. The toxically high concentration of heavy metals in the soil will be reflected by higher concentrations of metals in plants.

Read the full article on the Southern Arkansas University website.

Author Credit: https://web.saumag.edu/

BSU’s Emily Shupe Awarded NASA WV Space Grant Research Award(WVVA News)

BSU’s Emily Shupe Awarded NASA West Virginia Space Grant Research Award

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) – Emily Shupe, a rising junior at Bluefield State University, has been awarded a NASA West Virginia Space Grant research award and is also being considered for early admission into the West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM).

She received the grant under the supervision of Professor Tesfaye Belay, and the grant will allow Shupe to continue her work researching a bacterium that can infect astronauts during space flight. “I submitted an essay describing my research and the steps involved in conducting the research,” she explained.

Read the full article on wvva.com.

Author Credit: Kassidy Brown

Image Credit: WVVA News

A rocket carrying NASA mission equipment lifts off in New Zealand in May. Three Utah State University engineering students — Adam Weaver, Payton Taylor, and Bryan Gricius — were awarded funding on behalf of the Utah Space Grant Consortium for internships this past summer working on rocket propulsion and space exploration equipment. (Photo Credit: NASA)

Utah Space Grant Consortium Awards Three Engineering Student Internships

Three Utah State University engineering students were awarded funding on behalf of the Utah Space Grant Consortium for internships this past summer.

Adam Weaver, a recent graduate student at USU studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace engineering, and Payton Taylor, a senior also studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace engineering, received $6,200 each for their internships at Northrop Grumman. They worked in the propulsion systems department for four months.

“I was very thankful for this opportunity and excited that I was a recipient,” Weaver said. “The internship was a great experience.”

Read the full article online at USU.edu.

Author Credit: Sydney Dahle | Public Relations Specialist | College of Engineering | Utah State University

Photo Credit: NASA

The technological leadership majors. From left: Lindsey Tober, Matthew Marquez and Elizabeth Garayzar. Three students smiling, standing arms in arm in campus building.

Arizona Space Grant Consortium Awards Three ASU Undergraduate Students with NASA Internship Grants

Three outstanding Arizona State University students with a passion for advancing our understanding of space will soon have the opportunity to extend their academic pursuits beyond the classroom by conducting cutting-edge research and contributing to groundbreaking initiatives that hold the promise of shaping our future in space.

Lindsey Tober, Elizabeth Garayzar and Matthew Marquez have each been selected as recipients of prestigious internship grants from the ASU/NASA Space Grant office, a member of the Arizona Space Grant Consortium.

Read the full article online at News.ASU.edu.

Annular Eclipse against black sky and clouds

Annual Eclipse This Saturday! Are You Ready?

A solar spectacle will cross the sky this weekend when an annular eclipse known as the “ring of fire” appears across the western hemisphere.

Known as the “ring of fire” thanks to shape of circular light created by the partial eclipse, the event is expected to occur this Saturday, Oct. 14, and travel from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast, according to NASA.

The distinct annular eclipse is different from a total eclipse, the next of which is expected to occur in April, and will be the last opportunity for people in the states to catch a glimpse of a ring of fire for a number of years.

Read the full article on USAToday.com

Author Credit: Mary Walrath-Holdridge | USA TODAY

Image Credit: Shuji Kajiyama, AP

Alan Rowland (left) will study different polymers with varying nitrogen content to try to understand how significant a role nitrogen plays in how lithium-sulfur batteries work. He is shown with Nawraj Sapkota (middle) and Ramakrishna Podila, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

South Carolina Space Grant Consortium Awards Clemson Graduate Student Fellowship for Battery Research

NASA is on the quest for a better battery — one that is lighter, longer lasting and able to survive the extreme temperatures found in space — and a Clemson graduate student’s research could help lay the groundwork.

Alan Rowland, a graduate student in the Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy, has received a prestigious NASA SC Space Grant fellowship to explore the role nitrogen plays in sulfurized polymer-based lithium-sulfur batteries.

Read the full article online at News.Clemson.edu

Author & Image Credit: Clemson University College of Science

Natalie Fout, a Secondary Math Education Major at Glenville State University

West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Awards Glenville State University Student Eclipse Ballooning Internship

Natalie Fout, a Secondary Math Education Major at Glenville State University, has successfully completed a transformative internship with the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium (WVSGC) during the summer of 2023. Her role as Outreach Coordinator and Launch Director for the West Virginia Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (WVNEBP) marked a significant contribution to this NASA-funded initiative, bringing together 70 atmospheric science and engineering teams from across the nation.

The WVNEBP, a part of the WVSGC, is gearing up to participate in the ‘paths of ecliptic totality’ during the upcoming annular and total eclipses on October 14th, 2023, and April 8th, 2024. This pioneering project involves launching high-altitude balloons into the stratosphere to collect invaluable atmospheric data and livestream breathtaking video footage.

Read the full article on the West Virginia Daily News website here.

Image Credit: WV Daily News

Author Credit: WV Daily News

Image Description: Collage of photos of college students. Top left is woman in purple sweater holding pen, looking at laptop. Bottom left is man on laptop surrounded by open books and notebooks. Bottom right is man with glasses and red shirt smiling with open book, sitting in library. Top right is two students looking at a desktop computer screen, while one points to the screen.⁠

Mississippi Space Grant Awards ’23 – ’24 Graduate Fellowships

Four University of Southern Mississippi (USM) graduate students in its College of Arts and Sciences have been awarded the prestigious NASA-Mississippi Space Grant Consortium’s (MSSGC) Graduate Research Fellowship for the current academic year (2023-24).

The MSSGC is a statewide non-profit entity consisting of institutions of higher learning, which includes USM, coordinated and supported by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Its mission is to enhance and support aerospace science and technology efforts and activities in Mississippi, as well as promote a strong science, mathematics, and technology base at precollege, undergraduate, and graduate levels in the region’s educational institutions.

Read the full article on USM.edu here.

Author Credit: Ivonne Kawas

Abigail Urbina ’24 M.S., Anais Gardere ’24 M.S., Dr. Anna Kloc, Sagar Bhatta ’23 M.S., Aravinda Pentela ’24 M.S.

Connecticut Space Grant Supports Innovative Grant-Supported Research

Nearly a dozen Chargers have received grants or scholarships from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium that will support their cutting-edge research, create important educational opportunities, and, possibly, lead to exciting scientific discoveries.

For Katie Durkee ’24 M.S., the opportunities she’s had to conduct research have enabled her to pursue her interests and discover new passions. A strong believer in the ability of research to help yield new discoveries, she hopes her own work can play an important role in furthering knowledge and innovation on Earth – and beyond.

Read the full article on NewHaven.edu

Author Credit: Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Image Credit: NewHaven.edu

Grad cap on sits on top of $100 dollar bills, with green chalboard in background with equations written on the board

Pennsylvania Space Grant Selects 2023 Scholars and Fellows

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fourteen graduate students from Penn State have been awarded research fellowships and nine undergraduate students from around the commonwealth have been awarded scholarships from the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium (PSGC).

For 35 years, the Pennsylvania Space Grant College and Fellowship Program has been working to expand opportunities in Pennsylvania for citizens to learn about and participate in NASA programs by supporting STEM education, training, research, and public understanding while promoting multi-faceted diversity among project participants. The program is one of 52 NASA Space Grant programs across the country that are part of the NASA-run initiative to support educational initiatives in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Each year PSGC receives funds from the national NASA Space Grant Project to develop and implement student fellowships and scholarships programs. Through this funding PSGC administers the Graduate Fellowship Program and Undergraduate Scholarship Program.

Read the full article on the Penn State website.

Author Credit: Patricia Craig