Caitlin Milera

The novel agricultural research of a University of Wyoming senior could help NASA pioneer the future of space farming. Growing food in space is a critical component of prolonged exploration of the solar system and beyond.

Drea Hineman, a senior at the University of Wyoming, grew up gardening with her grandfather in Gillette. Now, her novel agricultural research could help revolutionize gardening in space.

Hineman is a research fellow with the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium, which sponsors education and research that can support long-term space missions. Her research is solving one of the most critical problems with “space farming.”

“Space farming sounds crazy, but it’s really important to understand plant behavior in reduced gravity,” Hineman told Cowboy State Daily. “NASA is focused on staying in space for an extended period of time, and they want astronauts to have fresh food.”

Using special systems that mimic water movement in reduced or zero gravity, Hineman has developed a system that will allow fresh lettuce to be grown and harvested in space, and potentially on the Moon and Mars. And she did it all in a greenhouse in Laramie.

Read the full article on cowboystatedaily.com

Author Credit: Andrew Rossi

Image Credit: Paulo Pinto de Mello Neto Photo; NASA

Original Post Date: 11.30.25

(East Wenatchee, WA) – An East Wenatchee man has taken a passion for exploration and made it a career of searching deep sea and near space. Trent Tresch grew up in Western Washington but now calls East Wenatchee “home.” Of course, “home” is where you make it.

Recently, Tresch joined NCWLIFE Channel host Eric Granstrom on a Zoom interview to talk about his journey and where he’s heading next.

Tresch is continually on the go and has stepped foot on seven continents in his travels. From the polar ice sheets of Antarctica, where he supported remote ice surveys, to working on the National Geographic DropCam operations in Southeast Alaska. With the non-profit Exploring Our Deep World, in the depths of the Great Lakes, he has even hunted and discovered shipwrecks. Under the flagged banner of the Explorers Club, he led a submersible expedition that logged over fifty hours at depth, successfully tagging and tracking sixgill sharks in partnership with Florida State University’s Marine Science Laboratory.

Read the full article on ncwlife.com

Original Post Date: 11.12.25

Author Credit: Eric Granstrom

Image Credit: Trent Tresch | NCWLIFE

Spencer Knight, a senior double majoring in electrical and computer engineering and physics at UA Little Rock, spent his summer exploring the future of space exploration as a computer research and development intern at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Knight, a native of Little Rock and member of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, worked in NASA’s Technology, Innovation, and Research Office (TIRO), where he researched applications for large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.

His research focused on creating a searchable database of decades-old, scanned files. He also researched technologies that, long term, will give astronauts a way to access knowledge about tools and systems when live communication with Earth isn’t possible, like during missions to Mars.

…

Knight credits Dr. Constance Meadors of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium for helping him get this internship as well as his mentors inTIRO, Dr. Schmalzel and Dr. Krell, for helping him seize the opportunity to learn so much over the summer. Working at NASA was the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Knight.

Read the full article on ualr.edu

Author Credit: UA Little Rock

Image Credit: UA Little Rock

Original Post Date: 10.24.25

HUNTSVILLE – The Alabama Space Grant Consortium has received a $20,000 donation from the National Space Club – Huntsville, marking the second year in a row the group has made this donation to the ASGC.

The funds help provide a long-term K-12 STEM engagement plan for the state that leverages the ASGC’s connections to eight higher education institutions across Alabama, including two Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to offer scholarships and fellowships supporting dozens of STEM and education-focused undergraduate and graduate students each year.

Based at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the consortium was formed in 1989 when NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. It is a voluntary association of eight state research universities, along with other community colleges, as well as industry and government organizations. The mission of the ASGC is to inspire, enable and educate Alabama students to take up careers in space science, aerospace technology and allied fields to help ensure future U.S. leadership in space exploration and aerospace technology.

Read the full article on newsbreak.com

Original Post Date: 10.17.25

Author Credit: Bud McLaughlin

Image Credit: https://www.newsbreak.com/

Congratulations! The following schools will compete in the 2025-2026 NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium’s Collegiate Rocket Launch at Richard Bong Recreational Park in Kansasville, WI on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

Returning to defend their Grand Champion title is the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Competing in the 2025-2026 competition for the first time will be Alverno College and Lawrence University.

Read the full story on spacegrant.carthage.edu

Original Post Date: 10.20.25

Author Credit: WISGC

Simpson College students will have access to new funding, resources and professional development opportunities through a partnership with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

The Indianola private university announced this week it has joined the consortium, a NASA-affiliated organization committed to supporting education, research and outreach in STEM and other areas aligned with NASA interests.

“This is incredibly exciting news,” said Aswati Subramanian, Simpson associate professor of biology, in a news release. “Simpson students and faculty across disciplines now have access to funding opportunities for research projects, as well as resources to develop curricula that support the development of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills, with a focus on improving student outcomes.”

Read the full article on iowacapitoldispatch.com

Original Post Date: 10.16.25

Author Credit: Brooklyn Draisey

Image Credit: Photo courtesy of Simpson College

Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University student Whitney Melick’s dream to build and launch her own projects into space got closer to reality after attending the Space Trek Academy at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Melick receives a congratulations from Andrew Gafford, who is a research and development engineer at the Space Trek Academy. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Whitney Melick)The sophomore Aerospace Engineering student spent four days in August at the Center for Space Education at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. There, she worked with more than a dozen college students to successfully launch and retrieve a weather balloon that carried a payload up to an altitude of 100,000 feet into the upper atmosphere.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Melick, who is from Bentonville, Arkansas. “The whole idea of the academy is that it is very student-led. We did all the planning, coding and construction of the weather balloon project ourselves.”

The Space Trek Academy, sponsored by NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium, teaches students about meteorology, telemetry, payload integration and different variables that NASA must consider during missions.

Read the full article on news.erau.edu

Original Post Date: 10.3.25

Author Credit: Melanie Stawicki Azam

Image Credit: Embry‑Riddle/Whitney Melick

Sioux City – Morningside University is proud to announce it has been awarded a $10,000 Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) Academic Project Grant to support its innovative project, EYES: Eye-tracking for Youth Engagement and Safety. This initiative will use advanced eye-tracking technology to better understand how students process critical information in aviation training environments, with the ultimate goal of improving instruction, performance, and safety.

Led by Harley L. Waters, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Aviation at Morningside, the EYES project will combine wearable eye-tracking devices with workload assessments to investigate the relationship between cognitive fatigue, stress, and performance in aviation students. By analyzing gaze behavior and attention management during simulated flight, the research team aims to identify patterns that contribute to both effective and ineffective performance.

“We are excited to bring eye-tracking technology into aviation research and education at Morningside,” said Waters. “This project gives our students the opportunity not only to participate in the research but also to actively help conduct it—developing skills in data collection, analysis, and human factors methods that directly prepare them for careers in aerospace and STEM.”

Read the full article on morningside.edu

Original Post Date: 10.8.25

Author Credit: Morningside University