The Brooke Owens Fellowship—a nationally acclaimed nonprofit program recognizing exceptional undergraduate women and gender minorities with space and aviation internships, senior mentorship, and a lifelong professional network—announces its Class of 2024 Brooke Owens Fellows

The Class of 2024 marks the eighth class of “Brookie” Fellows. The 47 Fellows were selected through a fair and extremely competitive application process involving written and creative submissions, interviews with the Fellowship’s leadership team and its close network, and interviews with leading aerospace employers from across multiple sectors in the U.S. aerospace industry. Over 450 promising and talented students submitted their applications, coming from Ivy League universities, major research universities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s), liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and major international universities. The Fellows were selected based on their incredible talent, desire to pursue a career in aerospace, stand-out creative abilities, record of leadership, and most importantly commitment to their communities.

The Brooke Owens Fellows will each be matched to an executive-level mentor in the aerospace industry who will support and work with the Fellows to help launch their careers in addition to a Brookie Alumni Mentor. This summer, the Fellows will start their internships and come together in July for the annual Brooke Owens Summit in Washington, DC. The Class of 2024 will also become part of the network of almost 350+ Brookie alumni spanning all aspects of space and aviation including engineering, scientific research, policy, journalism, and entrepreneurship.

Ritisha (Risha) Das is a senior and Flinn Scholar enrolled in the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, double majoring in mathematics and mechanical engineering with an emphasis in computational mechanics. Falling in love with the magic of space and stars ever since she read the children’s book “Amanda Visits the Planets”, Risha has dreamed of working on satellites and helping design other vehicles for space. That is why she is so excited to have received the Brooke Owens Fellowship where she will be interning with Airbus US Space & Defense as a systems engineer.

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

Author Credit: Brooke Owens Fellowship

Image Credit: Ritisha Das / Brooke Owens Fellowship

Brooke Owens Fellowship Page (Jan. 30, 2024)

Space Grant at Colorado Mesa University supports several hands-on projects where students apply the skills they learn in their courses.  One such project is Go Baby Go.

Go Baby Go is a gateway project intended to broaden the population of CMU students engaged ih hands-on projects, allowing college students an opportunity to engage in STEM while serving the local community. CMU students modify small electric ride-on cars for local children with limited mobility. The students at CMU work with pediatric therapists to wire the foot pedal to a button for better hand access, add PVC structures for physical support, and add custom seating and harness systems to meet the individual needs of each child. An introductory soldering workshop is being held with this month-long project. The 2024 project included ~40 participants from CMU and ended on March 9, 2024. Scholarships are awarded to students involved in the project who took on extra responsibilities such as leading a team, holding design help sessions, and conducting the soldering workshop for other Go Baby Go participants.  CMU students who participate in this gateway project are recruited to join other Space Grant projects on the CMU campus.

Read each of the stories in the latest newsletter on the Colorado Space Grant Consortium webpage.

Author Credit: NASA Colorado Space Grant Consortium

Image Credit: NASA Colorado Space Grant Consortium

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