Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Okay, since you ask for more. Let me try this again. Ready?

Hi Y’all, Chris Carter here, Director of Virginia Space Grant Consortium. I told my team I’d take over the social media account again… and somehow ended up getting FAA-certified to fly drones. 🚁👀

This week, I rode up to .tech and join the ADVANCE program for a professional development opportunity that teaches, equips and certifies High school CTE teachers on the implementation of Drones and precision agriculture in the classroom. How cool is that?!

At the end of the program, we, the educators received a FAA remote pilot certification.

Anyways, here are some flicks 📸. Don’t worry about Matt Day. He and I and everyone were very excited about the next generation of STEM. To learn more visit the link below.

Should I do more of these takeovers? 👀 let me know what you think. Till next time ✌️🚀

🎉Congratulations to all of the Virginia middle and high school students who won awards in the 2026 Institute of Competition Sciences Plant the Moon Challenge.

Two teams earned international recognition “Best in Show” awards in the Middle School Division:
From Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount, Va., the Mean Greens, coached by Jennifer Hatch
From Berkeley Middle School in Williamsburg, Va., The Moondog Guild, coached by Ashley Montgomery

And Mean Greens and Starship Purslane (from Rock Ridge High, coached by Amy Goodyear) were
recognized in a new award category honoring top-performing middle and high school teams from states with significant participation in the PTMC.

The teams designed and conducted experiments exploring how plants might grow in lunar conditions. Students presented their findings through formal scientific research reports and video presentations.

Thanks to theScience Museum of Virginia for hosting a fantastic day!

We're proud of our Virginia teams!

These community college faculty got a taste of what it's like to work at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility last week. Now they can tell their students all about it and how they can get in on the mission too! Learn more about STEM Takes Flight for Community College Faculty and other programs at vsgc.odu.edu

We're proud to have our VSGC Director Chris Carter named to the Virginia Air & Space Science Center new Industry Advisory Board along with 16 other aerospace industry leaders and excited to be highlighted in the news last week! ICYMI:

Aerospace leaders launch new advisory board in Hampton, focusing on innovation A new advisory board aimed at shaping STEM programs, exhibits, and future innovation in the region.

“Mic check, mic check… am I doing this right?” 😅

The VSGC Marketing Team is off today, so I, Chris Carter, took over. I hope you enjoy learning more about the amazing work we’re a part of in helping prepare the next generation of the STEM workforce.

To learn more, visit our webpage: https://vsgc.odu.edu/about-us/

Thank you for your patience, passion, and impact. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Send this to your favorite teacher or tag them below and share how they impacted your life.
Let’s show them the love they deserve.

Longtime Virginia Space Grant Consortium partner, the Virginia Aviation Business Association is now an official consortium member.

The VABA is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing aviation and aerospace in the Commonwealth through industry representation, workforce development, and education. The VABA serves as a leading advocate before both the legislative and executive branches of government, working to strengthen policies, funding, and programs that support the growth of the industry.

For more than 15 years, the VABA has partnered with VSGC, collaborating to promote aerospace education and workforce initiatives, engaging with the Virginia General Assembly, and advocating for sustained state investment in aviation and aerospace programs across the Commonwealth.

The VABA is a key partner in VSGC’s Pathways Flight Academies project, the VSGC-led Virginia Aerospace Workforce Development Hub, and other workforce development programs. Through its leadership of the Aerospace and Aviation Legislative Caucus at the General Assembly, the VABA helps VSGC connect with partners.

Since its founding, the VABA has served as a unified voice for the Commonwealth’s aerospace industry. Chartered by the Virginia General Assembly, the VABA is dedicated to advancing aeronautical businesses across Virginia including commercial and general aviation, all Virginia public use airports, and critical aviation infrastructure including that on Wallops Island. The VABA’s membership provides strong engagement with its network of aviation businesses, agencies, and stakeholders in the Commonwealth, and underscores the VABA’s ongoing support for VSGC aviation activities.

For more info, on the VABA visit https://www.thevaba.org and for more info on VSGC visit https://www.vsgc.odu.edu

New staff headshots! 🚀 😎

As we get ready to embark on our summer programs, meet a few of the faces behind the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Follow along this summer to see our programs in action.

Learn more about each member's role and impact. https://lnkd.in/eWQe7n3N