Smoky Mountains STEM Collaborative

06/24/2026

Over the last decade, the Smoky Mountains STEM Collaborative has strived to create meaningful STEM experiences for the learners in our region. Our team has enjoyed watching eclipses with you, attending Space Apps with you, going to summer STEM camps with you, showcasing your accomplishments to NASA; truly, the list could not be contained in a single social media post. We have cherished this entire journey alongside you, our community.

To our learners, thank you for taking on incredible challenges and immersing yourself in science education. To our educators and partners, this work would have been impossible without your dedication and passion.

Though our project is slated to end this month, this does not mean goodbye! Our team has submitted for Science Activation 3.0, and we hope to have some good news for you all in September!

Your Friends in Science,
-the SMSC team

05/12/2026

Congratulations, Gracie!! 🥳

We'd like to congratulate SCC alumna Gracie Threadgill for her acceptance into the NASA Europa Inspiring Clipper: Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists (ICONS) Internship Program this summer!

Gracie has had a love for space since she was five and has carried that throughout her entire academic journey with experiences like Smokey Mountain Elementary School's Astro Camp as both a camper and a counselor, the Jackson County Early College program and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute. She currently attends Western Carolina University as a Chemistry major and is working on both her bachelor's and master's degrees!

This 10-week internship provides students with hands-on learning experiences alongside NASA mentors. With this opportunity, Gracie is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of becoming an astronaut!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! 🌎
Be sure to check out the NASA Artemis II Gallery for more incredible images: https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/journey-to-the-moon/
Image Credit: NASA

03/31/2026

Tomorrow may be April Fool's Day, but this is no joke!
The NASA Artemis II launch is slated for tomorrow, April 1, no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT.

This will be the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972. NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will spend ten days orbiting the Moon.

Where to watch: https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/

02/11/2026

February 11 marks both International Day of Women and Girls in Science as well as National Inventors' Day! As February is also Black History Month, we're highlighting the accomplishments of Valerie Thomas.

Valerie Thomas worked for NASA as a data analyst and oversaw the creation of Landsat, a program that has been responsible for acquiring images of Earth's land surface for more than 50 years.

Thomas also invented the illusion transmitter, which allows 2D images to appear 3D. Her work is still used to this day!

01/29/2026

Exciting news from our friends over at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute!!

NASA has selected 34 global volunteers to track the Orion spacecraft during the crewed Artemis II mission’s journey around the Moon.

12/01/2025

Don't forget that Jackson County Early College is hosting its 5th annual STEAM Night this Thursday, Dec. 4, at Southwestern Community College NC!

STEAM Night is an all-ages event that features local organizations, student presentations, hands-on activities and more! We hope to see you there!

Send a message to learn more

11/06/2025

We are excited to announce that one of our Rosman teams, BioRaptor, is a Global Nominee for this year’s Space Apps Challenge!

Team members Ahmad and Issam Alzouby, Elias Ouzzani, Noah Mraz and Oleh Yevsevskyi tackled “Build a Space Biology Knowledge Engine,” a challenge that tasks participants with building a web application that features tools to help users explore and engage with NASA bioscience publications.

Of over 11,500 projects, roughly 1,300 are moving to the next round of judging. Stay tuned for the Global Finalist announcement on Nov. 26!

09/18/2025

The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is back this Oct. 4-5!

Last year, we had to cancel our local event at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute due to Hurricane Helene, so we are super excited to participate this year with all of you!

To sign up for our event, please visit this link:
https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/local-events/rosman/

05/06/2025

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day! This celebration is part of a week-long event highlighting the great work teachers do for learners of all ages!

Check out these NASA resources for your classroom:

NASA offers a wide array of unique experiences for educators designed to engage K-12 students nationwide in the agency’s missions, people, and resources.