NASA / Alabama Space Grant Consortium

08/31/2026

🚀 INTERN SPOTLIGHT: SAM ARNOLD ☀️

How do we build solar panels that survive deep space? Sam Arnold spent his internship finding out!

Sam evaluated novel perovskite solar cells—a high-efficiency material designed for extreme radiation resistance.

Radiation Modeling: Using NASA’s OLTARIS and ESA’s SPENVIS tools, Sam modeled how trapped radiation in the Van Allen belts degrades solar cell power output.

Dashboard Development: He built a custom HTML dashboard backed by Python to calculate and graph degradation trends automatically.

Field Experience: Outside the lab, Sam headed to Wallops Flight Facility to watch the launch of the SHC sounding rocket payload in person! 🛰️

Thank you for your hard work and contributions to solar survivability research, Sam! We can't wait to see what you do next. 🌌✨

08/27/2026

🚀 Meet Kermit, one of our Auburn-funded summer interns, fresh off a life-changing internship at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory!

Kermit worked with the Daraio Research Group's research on polycatenated architected materials (PAM) - chain-mail-like 3D structures - building models to help verify prior thermal experiments. He also gained hands-on 3D metal printing experience and fully immersed himself in the LA aerospace industry (even refereeing soccer at an industry event, which led to valuable private-sector connections!).

Kermit's path into spacecraft structures started with the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, which funded his education and his work leading structural design and verification on the Space TACSI CubeSat program. That experience gave him the technical depth and confidence to take the next step after academia.

Proud to have helped make this possible — congrats, Kermit! 🛰️

08/26/2026

LUNAR ECLIPSE TOMORROW NIGHT: Alabama will get a spectacular deep partial lunar eclipse tomorrow night (Thursday night). 🌝

The eclipse begins subtly around 8:23p CT, but the really noticeable partial eclipse begins at 9:33p CT. The peak comes a little before 11:15p CT, when about 96% of the Moon will be covered by Earth's dark shadow. 🖤

The Moon will take on a dramatic reddish-orange color. No special glasses are needed—just hope for breaks in the clouds! 🍊

08/25/2026

Meet Tamia Lay, a graduate student at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), who spent her summer as an intern at NASA Langley Research Center diving into artificial intelligence research!

Tamia worked on Project LENS (Language Evaluation & Neural Supervision Pipeline) — research exploring how Large Language Models can evaluate AI-generated responses, paired with Human-in-the-Loop validation to keep humans in the driver's seat.

In her own words, the experience deepened her understanding of responsible AI and the critical role of human oversight in emerging tech, while giving her the chance to collaborate with NASA researchers and experience their interdisciplinary research environment firsthand.

Congratulations, Tamia, on a summer well spent — we can't wait to see where your passion for AI, cybersecurity, and trustworthy AI systems takes you next! 🎓✨

08/18/2026

🚀 Ready to solve real NASA challenges?
The NASA Undergraduate Student Design Projects program gives college student teams direct mentorship from NASA engineers, access to real-world datasets, and up to $5,000 in funding for prototype design! 🛠️✨

🗓️ Key Application Dates:
🟢 Aug 17, 2026: Applications Open
🚨 Sept 14, 2026: Application Deadline
📣 Sept 25, 2026: Selections Announced

🎓 Academic Year 2026–2027: Virtual Reviews & Mentorship
Whether you're building physical prototypes, running computer simulations, or solving theoretical space problems, this is your chance to gain academic credit and jumpstart your STEM career. 🌌

📌 Faculty Note: Applications must be submitted by ABET-accredited U.S. higher education faculty members serving as project advisors.

🔗 Learn more and apply by Sept 14:
https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-undergraduate-student-design-projects/


Photo credit: NASA

08/18/2026

🚀 NASA has challenged us to strengthen our ties with community and technical colleges across Alabama — and we're kicking that off with an exciting opportunity for students!

The NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) Student Challenge is now OPEN! 🌌

Community college students can earn part of a $625,000 prize purse (up to $750 individually) by exploring technical careers at NASA and building a career portfolio that connects their coursework to real aerospace opportunities.

If you're a community college student — or know one — this is your launch pad. ✨

📅 Register by September 28th
🔗 Learn more: nasa-ncas.org

08/17/2026

Two of our Alabama A&M University fellowship students, Elijah Nix and Israel Scott, spent time this summer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center! 🚀

They shadowed researchers working on projects like growing plants under different light conditions and testing ammonia pH and concentration levels. 🌱 They also learned how astronauts use plants for more than just food - they play a role in mental well-being during long missions too.

The team wrapped up their visit with a tour of the facilities housing plant-related research, and they said it was a great experience all around. 🛰️

So proud of Elijah and Israel for representing AAMU and getting this kind of hands-on exposure!

07/23/2026

Meet Brooke Patterson, our awesome K-12 summer intern! Brooke is a student at the University of North Alabama, double-majoring in Mathematics and Secondary Education, with plans to graduate in May 2028. She's excited about a future in teaching math and helping students build confidence and a love for problem-solving — though she's keeping her options open for wherever her math skills might take her.

While interning with us, Brooke designed our new Artemis presentation, "Going Back to the Moon" 🚀 She also helped put together a STEM outreach database that'll help power our programming for the 2026–2027 school year.

Thanks for everything you brought to the team this summer — go get 'em, future Ms. Patterson!

07/23/2026

05/27/2026

✨🚀 Congratulations to the 2026–2027 Alabama Space Grant Consortium STEM Outreach Ambassadors! 🚀✨

These amazing students will travel across Alabama visiting K–12 classrooms to share space-related STEM lessons and hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. 🌎🛰️

We’re so excited to see the impact you’ll make in communities across the state. The future of STEM is in great hands! ⭐