Raleigh, N.C. – The 2026 North Carolina Space Symposium, hosted at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center, brought together students, researchers, and industry leaders for a day highlighting innovative research, networking, and STEM workforce development.

Susan White, NC Space Grant Director, opened the conference with images of Zena Cardman and Christina Koch, both alumni of the NC Space Grant program who have recently been to space.

“At some point, they sat in an audience similar to this one eager to learn and excited about doing their own research. In the past year, they have traveled to the International Space Station and around the moon,” said White.

Christopher Chung, Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), served as the plenary speaker. Chung has more than 30 years of experience in statewide economic development, which includes working to bring new companies to North Carolina.

Chung spoke directly to the students in the audience about what they bring to the table: “You are a key part. When I get up in front of an audience of business leaders who aren’t as familiar with North Carolina, I always start with the human equation in terms of our talent availability,” said Chung. “It doesn’t matter what industry your company is in. You depend on people to be successful.”

Read the full article on: ncspacegrant.ncsu.edu

Author Credit:  Rebecca Jones

Image Credit: NCSGC

Original Post Date: 5.11.26

Nine teams from across North Carolina came together to compete in the 2026 North Carolina Space Grant Community College High-Altitude Ballooning Challenge (HABC). This year-long competition challenges community college teams to design, build and launch scientific experiments aboard high-altitude balloons.

Students from community college campuses worked alongside faculty mentors, following NASA’s engineering design process, to develop payloads that can collect data in conditions that are similar to those in space. Teams present their work throughout the year, then compete in a statewide launch and recovery event where their payloads are evaluated on design, performance, scientific results and overall execution.

Students leave the program with hands-on experience while developing technical skills and gaining essential teamwork, communication, and leadership tools.

“This challenge gives students the opportunity to serve as the engineers, scientists and leaders on their own projects,” said Jobi Cook, associate director of NC Space Grant. “The HABC experience helps them build practical, career-ready skills that translate directly to opportunities in aerospace and beyond.”

Read the full article on ncspacegrant.ncsu.edu

Author Credit: Grace Rodrigues

Image Credit: NC Space Grant

Original Post Date: 5.31.26

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Senator John Hoeven is pitching space investment as both an education opportunity and a national security priority, pointing to the NASA Space Grant Consortium and a new $250 million Space Force Operations Center planned for Grand Forks.

Senator John Hoeven is a proud supporter of the Space Grant Consortium program. On Friday, at Gateway to Science in Bismarck, he cheered on members of the program.

“It’s a way for these young people to get directly involved and think how important that is for their future,” said Hoeven. “Not just learning about this stuff, but actually getting in and working on it that enables them to get great jobs, the jobs of the future, but also develop these exciting new technologies themselves.”

The program includes more than 850 affiliates across the country, designed to get young people working directly in the aeronautics field, including those here in North Dakota.

Read the full article on kfyrtv.com

Author Credit: Ariana Gonzalez

Image Credit: ND Space Grant Consortium

Original Post Date: 4.24.26

Student-led projects explore air pollution, infection prevention, endurance recovery, and mental health

Five Georgian Court University students were selected to receive NASA NJ Space Grants to support their undergraduate research during the 2025–2026 academic year. The grants are part of an annual opportunity that highlights the university’s commitment to hands-on undergraduate STEM research.

Students are awarded paid internships with Georgian Court faculty to conduct research that has implications for NASA, including fundamental research with potential future impact for NASA. Dr. Anne Tabor-Morris annually champions this opportunity to Georgian Court students, encouraging them to explore complex scientific questions through faculty-mentored research. Each awardee received a $2,000 stipend from NASA for projects in their chosen fields, with professors supporting and mentoring the work. All research is being conducted on-site at Georgian Court.

This year’s recipients are pursuing projects in exercise science, computer information systems, biology, and health sciences, with topics ranging from ultramarathon recovery and anxiety interventions to air pollution modeling and antimicrobial resistance.

Read the full article on georgian.edu

Original Post Date: 4.9.26

Author Credit: Georgian Court University | News

Image Credit: Georgian Court University | News

Students, faculty and community members gathered Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Omaha for two public screenings of “Spacewoman,” a documentary chronicling the career of astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft.

Organized by the NASA Nebraska Space Grant, the event featured both a midday and evening screening during the film’s national release week, offering attendees an opportunity to engage with Collins’ story and its broader impact.

The screenings aimed to connect Collins’ achievements in aerospace with students’ academic and career goals, emphasizing how perseverance and access to opportunity can shape paths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Following the screenings, Collins spoke directly to students about her journey and the challenges she faced throughout her career. She emphasized resilience and the importance of pushing forward despite obstacles.

“You don’t have to come from a privileged background or have the perfect life to achieve your dream,” Collins said. “Sometimes the adversity you go through teaches you the skills you need to succeed.”

Read the full article on: unothegateway.com

Author Credit: Mo Al-Ebadi

Image Credit: NASA | Nevada Today

Original Post Date: 3.28.26

Karin M. Paquin, a teacher at St. John’s Catholic School and former Boothbay resident, has been selected for the prestigious LiftOff Summer Institute. This nationally competitive program, sponsored by the University of Texas Center for Space Research and supported by NASA and state Space Grant Consortium partners, selects educators who demonstrate a commitment to advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education through space-based learning.

This year’s LiftOff Educator Institute theme, Moon to Mars: A New Era of Discovery, highlights NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars. Participants will explore current priorities in space research, including the expanding role of commercial space partners and the impact of these innovations both in space and on Earth.

Program Features Include:

• Presentations by NASA scientists and engineers
• Hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities aligned to educational standards
• Career exploration opportunities
• Teacher-led sharing of classroom lessons and activities
• Direct interaction with researchers involved in space missions

LiftOff is a collaborative initiative involving the University of Texas Center for Space Research, NASA, Space Grant Consortium members, and industry partners. Teachers are selected through a competitive application process, and the weeklong institute features workshops, field investigations, and presentations focused on aerospace and space science themes.

Read the full article on: www.boothbayregister.com

Author Credit: Amie E. Marzen, St. John’s Catholic School

Image Credit: Karin M. Paquin demonstrates zero gravity | Courtesy photo

Original Post Date: 3.29.26

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium met with students at the United Tribes Technical College on Thursday to highlight out-of-this-world opportunities.

It’s a timely visit, coming right after NASA’s announcement about building a base on the moon, a project that could one day include these very students.

North Dakota Space Grant Consortium Directors Caitlin Milera and Laurie Salander went to the campus with one mission: to build a bridge between NASA and North Dakota. For the attendees, this is a step in the right direction for scientific and tribal connection.

“It definitely feels appropriate. You know, like, I feel like people usually forget about North Dakota when it comes to the bigger picture like that. So, I’m sure a lot of people feel seen,” said Marcus Takenalive, a communications specialist at United Tribes.

Read the full article on: kfyrtv.com

Author Credit: Sofia Morales

Image Credit: NDSGC

Original Post Date: 3.26.26

When Virtual Incision tested its miniature robotic surgeon on the International Space Station in 2024, it was a victory for the Nebraska startup, which was able to remotely operate the robot from Lincoln. It also showed the impact that support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration can make in the state

“We’re not taking credit for all the work that Shane (Farritor, a Virtual Incision co-founder) and his folks have done,” said Scott Tarry, co-director of the NASA Nebraska Space Grant and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) initiatives.

But the NASA Nebraska Space Grant has funded students working in Farritor’s lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. And Virtual Incision’s trip to space came through a NASA Nebraska EPSCoR grant awarded to Farritor and doctoral student Rachael Wagner.

That success speaks to the kind of matchmaking Tarry tries to do: connecting NASA priorities with Nebraska research. In the process, Nebraska gets support for its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce and a boost to local innovation.

Read the full article on: siliconprairienews.com

Author Credit: Lev Gringauz

Image Credit: NASA Nebraska Space Grant | Courtesy photo

Original Post Date: 3.25.26

Fly Me to the Moon (For Science)

BOZEMAN – At the invitation of NASA, a team of seven Montana State University students will travel to Spain this summer to fly stratospheric balloons while conducting sophisticated experiments during a total solar eclipse.

This is the sixth time that MSU’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project members will lead student teams from American universities as they investigate eclipse-driven phenomena and share images taken from the edge of space.

On Aug. 12, the MSU students will experience the total eclipse from Borgas, Spain, where they will conduct engineering flights along with teams from the University of North Florida and the universities of Bridgeport and Hartford in Connecticut. Each team will fly two balloons which, like weather balloons, rise to altitudes where the darkness of space and curvature of Earth are visible. The six craft will carry differing payloads of up to 13 pounds of scientific equipment needed for a variety of experiments, including some designed by local Spanish students. Among other investigations, the teams will measure changes in the concentration of atmospheric ozone during the eclipse and monitor the eclipse’s effects on radio communications. A long-range radio communications device called LoRa, designed by students at MSU, will be employed for the latter experiment.

“LoRa can communicate where the payload is and also send us great information about what’s going on with radio signals as things change in the atmosphere with the darkening from the eclipse,” said Angela Des Jardins, director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium and associate research professor in the Department of Physics in MSU’s College of Letters and Science. “So, it’s a little bit communications, a little bit science, and it also pushes the bounds on what that technology can do and shows us how far we can possibly transmit a good signal with that system.”

Read the full article on: montana.edu

Author Credit: Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service

Image Credit: MSU photo by Kelly Gorham

Original Post Date: 3.23.36