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

GHOST is a student-oriented research rocket that will be launched from Andøya Space in November 2025. It is a two-stage rocket that will fly up to an altitude of 248 kilometers as part of a larger research campaign organized by NASA.

In other words, it is a full-scale research rocket in a full-scale scientific
research campaign. What is special about GHOST is that the technological experiments it carries are not built by professionals, but by students from Norway, the USA, and Puerto Rico.

GHOST is a collaborative project between NASA and Andøya Space to foster cooperation among students across national borders. It is a unique opportunity to show students what they can experience should they choose a career in the space industry. The students will gain invaluable experience from a real rocket
mission and have the opportunity to make many new contacts within the space industry.

Read the full article on: andoyaspace.no

Author Credit: Andøya Space

Image Credit: Andøya Space

1. Johns S, Wiegman E, Bakshi A, Gilroy S.The cyclic nucleotide-gated channels CNGC2 and CNGC4 support systemic wound responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.Front Plant Sci. 2025 Aug 21;16:1545065.PI: S. GilroyNote: This article may be obtained online without charge.Journal Impact Factor: 4.8

   Funding: “The authors are grateful for funding for this work from NSF MCB2016177, NASA 80NSSC21K0577 and 80NSSC19K0126, and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.”

Original Post Date: 9.2.25

Author Credit: Keith Cowing

Image Credit: Astrobiology.com

For 2025-26 academic year, Seton Hall University has been awarded four academic year fellowships for science, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate students by the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC), a NASA-sponsored program.

Background

The New Jersey Space Grant Consortium was established in 1991 by a grant from NASA. The objectives of the consortium are to develop programs to further aerospace and STEM education, research, and development in New Jersey. For the 2025-26 academic year, NJSGC has awarded Seton Hall University four Academic Year Student Research Fellowships to administer.

Fellowship details

• The fellowship recipient must conduct research relevant to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or aerospace and fit into one of NASA’s missions as outlined on the website.
• The fellow must be a full-time student at Seton Hall University. A faculty member in Seton Hall must agree to supervise the research of the fellow.
• Seton Hall University has three fellowships to award in the 2025-26 academic year. The fellowship amount is $2,000 per student.

Read the full article on: shu.edu

Original Post Date: 9.19.25

Author Credit: Mehmet Alper Sahiner

Image Credit:  Seton Hall University

“Working on a satellite that could go to space is something I never imagined I’d do as an undergrad.”

That’s physics major Kelsey Henry describing one reason she’s excited about working in the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ Small Satellite Research Laboratory.

A transfer student from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Henry sees the challenge of designing small—as in shoebox-sized—satellites as a way to combine art and science. Called CubeSats, these satellites are built to work in near-space and low Earth orbit.

Currently, Henry is working on two sister projects. One will use CubeSats to study powerful flares that erupt from the surface of the sun. The other will test a method of using distant, rapidly spinning stars to navigate in space, where GPS is not an option.

The latter project, says Henry, “will be hosted as an experimental science payload on the International Space Station—a rare opportunity for an undergraduate-led project.”

Read the full article on umn.edu

Original Post Date: 8.29.25

Author Credit: Kristin Kelker

Image Credit: hoto by Pauline Oo, CSE Communications and Marketing.

College of Science and Engineering Story

North Idaho College has been selected to advance in a competitive national process to help develop the future aerospace and defense workforce as part of NASA’s Aerospace State Hubs for Skilled Technical Workforce Initiative.

NIC, in collaboration with the Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Corporation and the regional Aerospace Tech Hub, was named among 15 organizations invited to submit a concept paper to NASA. The initiative seeks to address a projected shortage of 1 million aerospace and defense workers by 2030 by building stronger education-to-workforce pathways.

“Being part of this next phase with NASA demonstrates that North Idaho College is positioned as a critical player in preparing students for high-demand technical careers,” NIC President Nick Swayne said. “This recognition validates the quality of our academic and workforce training programs while opening new opportunities for students in our region.”

NIC this fall opened an Airframe and PowerPlant Mechanic Apprenticeship that provides hands-on training in aviationmaintenance at its Workforce Training Center in Post Falls.

The college and its partners will now work with a NASA liaison to shape a concept paper due Sept. 17. Selected hubs will convene stakeholders, submit plans, and participate in the NASA STEM Workforce Summit at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Fla., Sept. 23-25.

Read the full article on nic.edu

Original Post Date: 8.26.25

Author Credit: North Idaho College Newsroom

Image Credit: North Idaho College Newsroom

Blue Origin completes 35th New Shepard mission

• Propellant Refueling and On-Orbit Transfer Operations (PROTO) & Microgravity Ullage Detection (MUD), Carthage College: Carthage College Space Science program’s PROTO experiment is collaborating with NASA Johnson Space Center to test new alternatives to measure spacecraft propellant levels in microgravity. MUD is a non-invasive method to locate the liquid-vapor interface in spacecraft fuel tanks during microgravity. The system incorporates acoustic vibrations and external sensors to detect whether the tank wall is in contact with liquid or gas, which is critical for safe in-space refueling. This experiment is flying for the third time with New Shepard. Both payloads are supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.

Read the full article on: satnews.com

Original Post Date: 9.18.25

Author Credit: SatNews

Image Credit: SatNews

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — For the second year in row, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has named West Virginia University as a regional winner of the 2025 W.K. Kellogg FoundationCommunity Engagement Scholarship.

The university’s partnership with Mountaineer Area RoboticS (MARS) was selected for the award, which recognizes extraordinary community engagement initiatives between land-grant institutions and its community partners.