Uncategorized

Junior TJ Tomaszewski leads student team making Delaware history in space

MISSOULA – The University of Montana’s spectrUM Discovery Area – a hands-on science museum located within the Missoula Public Library – recently launched a NASA-supported program to place telescopes in all libraries across the state.

The program is titled “Big Sky, Bigger Dreams: Telescopes for Montana Libraries.” This groundbreaking initiative will place telescopes in public and tribal college libraries across the state, making astronomy accessible to all Montanans.

Funded through a $250,000 NASA TEAM II STEM Innovator Award, this two-year project will empower families, students and amateur astronomers in rural and tribal communities to explore the night sky with user-friendly tabletop telescopes available for free checkout at local libraries.

“It has been a longtime dream of mine to make this project a reality,” said Nicholos Wethington, spectrUM’s associate director of library telescope programs. “The night sky belongs to us all and is part of our global cultural heritage.”

He said the project is about removing barriers.

“By putting telescopes in libraries, we’re giving every Montanan – regardless of income or geography – the chance to experience the wonders of astronomy firsthand.”

Read the full article on: umt.edu

Original Post Date: 12.19.25

Author Credit: University of Montana

Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Team RELLIS LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) took first place as Top Design Team and was awarded $1,000 individual scholarships for each of the six students on the team, as well as $1,200 to be used to support the team’s project expenses. The group also won first place in Best Poster, second place in Top Peer Review and third place in Best Video.

“Our team participated in both the poster and oral presentation sessions, and our performance was outstanding among the 24 competing teams from universities across the state of Texas,” said Dr. Nourouddin Sharifi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and the RELLIS team’s faculty advisor.

The team’s winning project was titled “Next-Generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (NextGen LTV) for Human and Robotic Exploration.” Students were tasked with developing the design and prototype for an innovative Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) concept optimized for long-range, energy-efficient and autonomous exploration of the Moon’s South Pole.

Read the full article on: theflashtoday.com

Author Credit: jhorton

Image Credit: The Flash Today

Original Post Date: 12.16.25

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Drea Hineman,a University of Wyoming student from Gillette, has earned regional recognition for her innovative space-farming research supported by NASA.

Hineman is a senior majoring in plant production and protection in the UW Department of Plant Sciences. As a Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium research fellow, she studies sustainable food production in reduced-gravity environments — in other words, farming in space.

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium sponsors education and research programs in support of NASA missions. Hineman’s fellowship project addresses a key problem astronauts face when cultivating lettuce plants in space: salt accumulation in the soil.

Reduced gravity also means reduced drainage. Aboard the International Space Station, water — and salts dissolved in that water — don’t drain away like they would on Earth. Instead of exiting the growing pod, salt accumulates in the soil, stressing the plants.

Read the full article on: thefencepost.com

Original Post Date: 11.26.25

Author Credit: University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources

Image Credit: Photo by Paulo Mello Neto, UW Ph.D. student and member of JJ Chen’s lab.

American University joined nine other leading research institutions on Capitol Hill for the Science of Space, a November 18 gathering dedicated to the future of innovation. The event highlighted how crucial federal investment in research and development is for driving economic growth, sparking breakthroughs, and sustaining American global competitiveness.

The Science of Space was hosted by the Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of more than 50 public and private research universities.

Thomas Fauchez, a research professor in the Department of Physics and a member of AU’s Integrated Space Science and Technology Institute (ISSTI), represented the university at the event. ISSTI partners with the DC NASA Space Grant Consortium, housed at AU, to facilitate opportunities to advance space science research through federal and private-sector partners and promote student engagement in STEM.

Throughout the event, scientists from each of the universities offered demonstrations and presentations detailing how they are contributing to advancements in the field. Fauchez, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist, presented his research on rocky exoplanet atmospheres—or planets orbiting a star other than the sun—and weather on Mars.

Read the full article on: american.edu

Author Credit: Madison Shomaker Parks

Image Credit:

Original Post Date: 12.2.25

BOONE, N.C. — Three Appalachian State University students have received North Carolina Space Grants to conduct science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research in the 2024–25 academic year.

North Carolina Space Grants are funded by NASA and have been administered by North Carolina State University since 1991. Awards benefit undergraduate students as they perform research on App State’s campuses, or at industrial sites or government facilities. The grants also provide students with opportunities to develop relationships with university mentors and NASA experts.

App State’s 2024–25 North Carolina Space Grant recipients:

• Cooper Brown, a junior ecology, evolution and environmental biology major from Holly Springs, who is researching greenhouse gasses in Southern Appalachian ponds.
• Hailey Church, a senior cellular/molecular biology major from Boone, who is also researching greenhouse gasses in Southern Appalachian ponds.
• Cade Tischer, a senior applied physics major from Cary, who is researching measurements of humidity to predict aerosol liquid water content.

Each student will receive one year of funds to supplement and enhance their research, culminating in a final report and poster presentation to the North Carolina Space Symposium in spring 2025.

Read the full article on today.appstate.edu. (Original Post Date: Sept. 20, 2024)

Author Credit: By Lauren Gibbs and Brian Miller

Image Credit: North Carolina Space Grant Consortium

Williamsport, Pa. — The Williamsport liberal arts school is the newest recipient of a NASA Space Grant.

The grant is providing new research internship opportunities for 15 Lycoming College astronomy and astrophysics students over the next five years. NASA provided $35,000 to the college, which was matched by Lycoming for a total investment of $70,000.

The support from NASA places Lycoming’s astronomy program among the likes of Carnegie Mellon and Lehigh University.

The National Space Grant program was launched in 1989 by NASA to connect with colleges and universities and expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in aeronautics and space projects. This includes supporting education, research, and public outreach.

“Thanks to the NASA Space Grant, we are able to engage students in research very early in their careers, which will be transformative to their college experience,” said Melissa Morris, assistant professor of astronomy and physics at Lycoming College. “Not only will they gain first-hand experience of what the actual scientific research process looks like, they will also gain knowledge and skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their careers, both at and beyond Lycoming College.”

Read the full article on northcentralpa.com. (Original Post Date: Nov. 14, 2024)

Author Credit: NCPA Staff

Image Credit: NASA

We are excited to announce that Dr. Joseph Orr from the Department of Anesthesiology has been awarded a $3,410,000 grant from the NASA Office of STEM Engagement. This significant four-year funding, granted through the Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium (UNSGC), will support initiatives spanning K-12 outreach, higher education, research, and workforce development aligned with NASA’s mission.

Running from May 18, 2025, to May 17, 2029, the grant will allocate $800,000 in the first year, followed by $870,000 annually in years two through four. The UNSGC’s mission is to connect Utah students, educators, and the public with NASA’s space and aeronautics projects, aiming to develop a robust pipeline of skilled and diverse future talent. Through 19 affiliate institutions in Utah, UNSGC provides student internships, fellowships, scholarships, and community outreach to encourage STEM engagement and career paths within NASA’s missions.

Read the full article on medicine.utah.edu. (Original Post Date: Nov. 4, 2024)

Author Credit: University of Utah

Image Credit: University of Utah