Caitlin Milera

The sun barely peeks over the horizon as a suitcase-like transport box exits Steward Observatory, home to the University of Arizona Department of Astronomy. Inside, held snugly in place by foam, is precious cargo: CatSat, the university’s first satellite built entirely by students.

After loading it into the back of the car, Shae Henley and Walter Rahmer, both engineering students at UArizona, stretch one last time in preparation for the 660-mile trip from Tucson to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Their mission: Deliver the satellite and fit it inside a Firefly rocket that will launch into low-Earth orbit as early as July 1. If everything goes according to plan, CatSat will orbit around Earth every 95 minutes, gathering data about space weather while using an inflatable antenna from FreeFall Aerospace and a state-of-the-art radio from Rincon Research Corporation.

CatSat is a small satellite, also known as a CubeSat. The project kickoff was in 2016. For the past several years, students suited up in lab coats, hairnets and masks to meticulously wire up the satellite inside a clean room in the university’s Drake Building. Henley and Rahmer were part of the CatSat integration team, which also included team leads Hilly Paige and Del Spangler, both UArizona alumni, and engineering student Sarah Li.

Read the full story on News.Arizona.edu

Author Credit: Penny Sophia Duran, NASA Space Grant Science Writing Intern

Image Credit: Aman Chandra/FreeFall Aerospace

Original Post Date: June 29, 2024

Nine Henderson State University students were awarded funding this summer from the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium to support their projects and research.

Patrick Porch of Malvern, Michael Kempson of Bald Knob, and Chance Young of Cabot received a $15,000 Student Intensive Training Grant which provides a stipend for each student and funding for materials.

They are working on a high-powered rocketry project and pursuing their required certifications as they seek to compete in a national rocketry competition.

Kayce Krantz of Gurdon, who is also working on a rocketry project, received a STEM grant with a stipend intended to provide opportunities for underrepresented groups in the sciences.

Read the full article on Arkadelphian.com

Author Credit: Arkadelphian.com

Image Credit: Henderson State University

Original Post Date: June 26, 2024

FAIRMONT, W.Va (WDTV) – Fairmont State University has received a grant from the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium to support STEM education at the university.

FSU’s Department of Natural Sciences has received the $5,000 grant from the Professional Development in STEM grant program.

The project, Re-Discovering CATS Cadre Experts, aims to invite 16 retired science teachers from the Coordinated and Thematic Science Program to present sessions at the West Virginia Science Teacher Association conference. Sessions in chemistry, physics, biology, earth and space science and elementary science will be presented to a new generation of West Virginia science teachers, organizers said.

The grant will pay for registration and boarding fees for the presenters at the conference.

Read the full article on wdtv.com.

Author Credit: WDTV News Staff

Image Credit: WDTV

Story Original Post Date: June 18, 2024

It’s all systems go for the College of the Canyons Aerospace and Science Team, which has received a $136,000 grant from NASA to support its High-Altitude Student Platform, RockOn and RockSat-X suborbital rocket programs.

To date, COC is the only community college that has successfully participated in High-Altitude Student Platform eight years in a row, as well as four RockSatX missions and two RockOn missions.

“We are so excited to have been granted this generous award from NASA,” said Teresa Ciardi, who teaches physical science and astronomy at the college and is the Aerospace and Science Team’s faculty advisor. “Securing consistent funding every year has been a longstanding obstacle for our team. This grant will greatly alleviate the financial burden on our students who wish to participate in these competitive collegiate space missions.”

Read the full article on SCVNews.com.

Author Credit: College of the Canyons

Image Credit: College of the Canyons

Story Original Post Date: June 25, 2024

EAD, S.D. (KELO) — From Mt. Rushmore to the Corn Palace, South Dakota is known for its attractions.

But not a lot of people are aware that Lead, South Dakota is home to the nation’s underground laboratory.

The Sanford Underground Research Facility also known as SURF performs world-class science experiments everyday in the Northern Hills. SURF is the only deep underground science lab located in the United States and one of the deepest in the world.

The people who work underground include physicists, biologists, geologists and engineers.

“In a lot of these, although we’ve known they exist for a while we really don’t know how they behave and what role they play and how the universe operates and its make-up. So these are really at the forefront and really world-leading experiments that we’re performing here,” SDSTA Executive Director Mike Headley said.

Read the full story on Keloland.com.

Author Credit: Tyler Louder

Image Credit:

Original Story Post Date: 1/10/2024

The Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) has announced recipients of its scholarships and fellowships for 2024-2025. ASGC is located on the campus of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System.

The consortium was formed with a mission to inspire the next generation of space explorers in 1989 when NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. It is a voluntary association of all seven research universities in Alabama along with other community colleges, educational outreach, and industrial and government entities.

Each scholarship recipient is awarded $1,500, and each fellowship winner receives $37,000. A single asterisk by a student’s name denotes a one-year renewal of a previous scholarship or fellowship award while two asterisks indicate a two-year renewal of a previous fellowship award.

For more information on ASGC and its scholarship and fellowship opportunities, visit uah.edu/asgc.

See the full list of awardees on UAH.edu

Image Credit: ALSGC

Author Credit: Ann Marie Martin

Original Story Posted: May 10, 2024

Grants in the 2024-25 funding cycle will advance research on topics ranging from examining the behavioral and neurobiological impacts of confinement to cognitive workload analysis via deep learning.

Alesha Roll has joined the Iowa NASA EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) in the role of program specialist.

Alesha is a 2017 alumna of Iowa State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences. Her career has been marked by a diverse array of roles, all centered around her passion for STEM, education and outreach, and community engagement.

With an extensive background in grant management and compliance, Alesha has played a key role in integrating STEM programs and supportive policies. Her interest was sparked by an internship with the EARTH Program in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, through Iowa State University.

Alesha’s commitment to the community includes creating programs within health and coaching, participating in coalitions advocating for local food policies, food security, waste reduction, and public education. Additionally, she has done grant work for nonprofit organizations in her free time.

As a program Specialist with EPSCoR/ISGC, Alesha will be involved in grant management, focused on research infrastructure development and supporting education and outreach events. While her specific duties will evolve, her extensive background in community-focused initiatives and her enthusiasm for educational programs will bring value to the Iowa EPSCoR/ISGC team.

Read the full story on https://news.engineering.iastate.edu/

Image Credit: IA State

Author Credit: aere_sb1234