A team of Trinity College engineering majors has received a Student Project Grant from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC). The award supports the group’s development of a device that efficiently transforms wave energy into usable electricity.

The recipient of the grant is Olivia McMichael ’24, who is working with fellow engineering majors Alexandra Barrett ’24, Tyler Gillette ’24, and Zoe Tiffin ’24 on their senior capstone project, “Variability in Wave Energy Capturing from Triboelectric Nanogenerator.”

“Being recognized with this award means our work on this project is important and can be used for greater things,” McMichael said. “It says that people find value in what we’re doing.”

McMichael, who has a concentration in electrical engineering and a minor in applied mathematics, led the application process for the grant, which included submitting a proposed budget and timeline. She said that the project was inspired by her team members’ passion for addressing the climate crisis.

“We wanted to work on sustainable energy,” she said. “Everyone knows about solar panels and wind turbines, but how else could we generate electricity?” The team is building a scalable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) wave energy converter, which harnesses power from waves in bodies of water. “We’re expanding upon the existing research about the TENG,” McMichael said. “There’s important work that has to be done to reduce carbon emissions and to find other ways to generate energy, focusing on making it more accessible and easier to implement.”

Read the full article on TrinColl.edu.

Author Credit: ANDREW J. CONCATELLI

Image Credit: NICK CAITO

 Five Pearl River Community College students have been selected to receive the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC) STEM Student Stipend Award for 2024.

Applicants were selected based on their work completed in the STEM Club as an active member, their coursework at PRCC, service to school & community and recommendations by instructors. Each student received $750 which can be used to benefit and continue their education.

This year’s honorees are Noah Bowman, Brennin Carlisle, Mason Holladay, Destiny Taylor and Sydney Thornton.

“We extend our congratulations to these deserving STEM students and look forward to their accomplishments as they move throughout their academic career paths.”

Read the full article on PRCC.edu.

Author Credit: WXXV Staff

Image Credit: Pearl River Community College

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is happy to announce Dr. Constance Meadors as the new director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) and NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program.

Meadors has taken over for Dr. Keith Hudson, who is still serving the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium in a director emeritus role. Meadors’ new role comes with some historic significance as she is the first African American and first female space grant director for the state of Arkansas as well as the first African American female space grant director in the United States.

“I am only the third director since the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium began in 1991,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. My NASA experience started here at UA Little Rock conducting hybrid rocket research as a graduate student. Immediately upon entering the program, I was identified as the recipient of a NASA fellowship. That was the first time I became involved in NASA, and it was beyond anything I imagined as a young African American female from a small town. It feels like I have come full circle in coming back to the place where it all started.”

Read the full article on UALR.edu.

Author Credit: Angelita Faller

Image Credit: UA Little Rock

Reflecting the Future: Revolutionizing Space Exploration with Liquid Mirrors

By Titus Szobody

The exploration of space has always been at the forefront of human curiosity and scientific advancement. One critical aspect of space exploration is our ability to observe and understand the universe beyond our atmosphere. Telescopes play a pivotal role in this endeavor, allowing us to peer into the depths of space. As technology evolves, researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries to enhance the capabilities of space telescopes.

Traditional telescopes often employ large, solid mirrors to capture and focus incoming light. The most powerful and advanced space telescope to date is NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which utilizes a primary mirror with an unprecedented diameter of 6.5 meters. While these mirrors have proven effective, they are also heavy and challenging to fit on a payload for launch and position in space. In addition, these mirrors are extremely difficult to sand and polish in order to reach the required standards for space optics and are susceptible to damage by space debris that may compromise the mirror’s quality.

These complicating issues result in the size, durability, and resolution limitations of current space optics technology. As space exploration demands more agile and efficient instruments, researchers at NASA have turned their attention to the use of liquid mirrors as a potential alternative.

Read the full article on the NC Space Grant Consortium website.

Author Credit: Titus Szobody

Image Credit: NCSGC

National Space Grant’s support towards the Lahaina (Maui) wildfire recovery efforts

On August 8, 2023, residents of Lahaina, Maui suffered a horrific wildfire that killed many people, destroyed buildings, and displaced remaining residents. The 2023 Maui fire ranks as one of the top 10 deadliest US wildfires and is the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaiʻi’s recorded history. The Maui tragedy reached national news and was discussed at a Space Grant ExCom meeting. Dr. Cass Runyon (SC) suggested collecting children’s books for Lahaina residents. As an educational network, all 52 Space Grant. Space Grant Consortia were called to lend support in the community by donating educational books for the families who lost their homes, schools and libraries.  An overwhelming collection of over 200 new books and supplies were collected at the Fall 2023 National Council of Space Grant Director’s Meeting hosted by the Hawai’i Space Grant Consortium (HSGC) at the ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.  Boxes were shipped to Dr. Jung Park, Associate Director for HSGC and faculty member at the University of Hawai’i Maui College, who was successful in delivering these resources to the students and staff at Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary School.  We stand with Maui and are happy to contribute in any way we can.

Read the full article on the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium website.

Photo Credit: Shanin Sado, TA Vice Principal of Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary School

Author Credit: Hawaii Space Grant Consortium

Adapting STEM Lessons for Students with Disabilities Using My NASA Data

NASA’s Space Tech Prize Bolsters Diversity, Inclusivity Champions

NASA selected the first winners of the agency’s Space Tech Catalyst prize to expand engagement with underrepresented and diverse individuals in the space technology sector as part of the agency’s broader commitment to inclusivity and collaboration. The winners are receiving $25,000 each to create more inclusive space technology ecosystems.

“As NASA continues to explore the unknown, making the impossible possible, we are committed to engaging talents from all backgrounds to advance exploration,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA senior advisor for engagement. “By providing funding to this space technology community, NASA is ensuring the Artemis Generation will have the necessary tools to expand humanity’s reach.”

• Dr. Denise Thorsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Director of Alaska Space Grant Consortium

For the full article and full list of awardees, visit NASA.gov

Image Credit: NASA

Author Credit:

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Gerelle Dodson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov

Local groups help blind people experience the eclipse

INDIANAPOLIS — As the date of the total solar eclipse gets closer, there is something for everyone to look forward to including an opportunity for people who are blind or visually impaired to experience the eclipse.

“People have been trying to do a device like this for decades and we think we have finally cracked it,” said Wunji Lau, the director of marketing at Tactile Engineering.

It’s been a long time coming but a revolutionary change in technology is allowing visually impaired and blind people to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.

“It feels great to be able to get to this point where an event like the eclipse, an event like the races at the speedway, are going to be accessible to blind people and people who have only been able to access them just by hearing or just by description,” Lau said.

This is all made possible through a partnership between Tactile Engineering and NearSpace Education.

Read the full story on Fox59.com

Author Credit: Hannah Follman

Image Credit: NASA

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.

Durkee is reaching for the stars with her research, which was recently awarded a graduate research grant from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC). Her project explores the development of self-healing polymers from biomass (organic) resources for space-related applications. Petroleum resources are currently used to generate polymers, she explains, and these are expected to become increasingly depleted in the coming decades.

Read the full article on University of New Haven’s News page.

Author Credit:  Renee Chmiel

Image Credit: University of New Haven

Original Post Date: July 27, 2023