NDSGC Newsletter: 1-16-2025

NDSGC Announcements & Updates

Congratulations to the Spring 2025 NDSGC Awardees:

• Minot State University received an ASCEND award for 2025
• 2 Student Fellowships were awarded at the University of North Dakota and 1 at North Dakota State University
• 2 NASA interns from the University of North Dakota and 1 from North Dakota State University will be funded for Spring 2025
• 5 K-12 schools received a total of 21 Plant the Moon/Mars kits
• 12 K-12 teams and 10 collegiate teams received competition team funding

SAVE THE DATE: Annual North Dakota Space Grant Consortium Meeting:

• The NDSGC will host their annual Affiliates Meeting in Bismarck, ND on Friday, March 21st, 2025 with a networking dinner on Thursday, March 20th. Staff,  faculty, and prospective NDSGC-funded students are highly encouraged to attend, especially those from United Tribes Technical College and Bismarck State College!
• Registration is required and will open soon
• Save the Date Flyer
• Previous annual meetings

NDSGC Opportunities

Opportunities facilitated by the NDSGC

NDSGC Sponsored NASA Internships- Summer 2025:

• NDSGC-sponsored NASA internships are for students at an NDSGC Affiliate institution. The Summer 2025 NDSGC-sponsored NASA internship application portal opens 10/25/24 & closes 2/2/25. Students may receive NASA internships on their own but the NDSGC is also willing to advocate for ND students. This is a two-step process
  • Site: NDSGC Sponsored NASA Internships
• NASA’s Glenn Research Center contacted the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium to ask about students interested in the below-mentioned Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) internships.
  • If selected, students will perform hands-on training with real mission scenarios, analyze powerful space communications systems, utilize network software tools, and effectively communicate their findings in a final presentation to NASA leadership. Each student is paired with an experienced, multi-disciplinary mentor, who provides technical guidance throughout the internship and assists with future career planning. Both STEM and non-STEM positions are available. Some internship positions are live, and additional postings will be uploaded on a rolling basis. To view the summer 2025 NASA SIP internship opportunities, type “SCaN” or “SIP” into the search bar on the NASA Gateway website.
    • SCaN – Lunar Surface Propagation (LSP)
    • SCaN – Solar System Internet Software Development and Testing
    • SCaN – CSP Communications Testbed Software Development
    • SCaN/GAVRT Social Media Support & GRC SCaN Digital Media Support
    • SCaN – NASA HQ Radio Frequency Spectrum Management Analyst
  • If interested in the SCaN internships above, please apply through NASA, submit an NDSGC-sponsored NASA internship form, and contact NDSGC Associate Director Tori McIntosh (tori.mcintosh@und.edu)

NDSGC Sponsored Scholarships:

• NDSGC scholarships are now open! Applicants must be in good academic standing and pursuing a STEM or STEM Education degree. Please visit the scholarship landing pages for more details.
  • Applications close 2/15/25:
    • Lillian Goettler Scholarship (NDSU students)
    • Pearl I. Young Scholarship (UND students)
    • NDSGC Transfer Scholarship (Students at any NDSGC affiliate school that is advancing degree programs)
    • NDGSC’s ND Vision Services/School for the Blind Scholarship (Students at any NDSGC affiliate school that receives services from NDVS/SB)
    • NDSGC Undergraduate Scholarship at Bismarck State College (BSC students)

Opportunities Outside the NDSGC

Opportunities NOT facilitated by the NDSGC but relevant to the NDSGC audience

NASA Wallops RockOn 2025:

• RockOn! is a hands-on team workshop teaching participants how to create a sounding rocket experiment from scratch. This workshop is designed for college students and faculty. There are no prerequisites for participants. Anything needed to be successful at the workshop will be taught at the workshop. The workshop is expected to take place from June 20– 25, 2025 with a launch expected on June 26, 2025. Team size is 3 people (2 students and 1 faculty member). Each team builds one RockOn experiment. You must sign up as a community college or university team. The workshop takes place at NASA Wallops. Apps close 2/14/25
  • Site: RockOn! 2025

Listen to the Universe:

• Have you ever listened to the universe? NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is a telescope designed to detect X-ray emissions—data that some scientists then process and interpret using sonification, which turns large data sets into sound. On Wednesday, February 5, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)—in collaboration with NASA and the Smithsonian Institution—will host a virtual panel of scientists who will discuss the Chandra X-ray Observatory project and how astronomers with visual impairments pursue their careers.
  • Join 7 p.m. eastern time on Zoom at https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1619542004?pwd=LgN8J45UGeYbkiwz4fuba5jaKmpegI.1

Business of Space Conference:

• The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Business will host the second annual Business of Space Conference. This conference will bring together academics, business leaders, innovators and policy influencers for two days of curated sessions, keynote presentations and interactive discussions. Participants will explore the latest insights in the new space economy and help shape the course of future academic and policy research. Conference dates: 2/23/2025 to 2/25/2025.
  • Site: Business of Space Conference

Mission Concept 2025:

• The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), in support of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), announces the Mission Concept 2025 competition for US universities to participate in a summer program to design missions. Solicitations are due at 4pm ET, February 3^rd.
  • Site: Mission Concept 2025

NASA Astrophysics Small Explorers Program:

• Astrophysics Small Explorers Program conducts Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations relevant to SMD’s astrophysics programs. Explorer investigations must address NASA’s goals to discover the origin, structure, evolution, and destiny of the Universe and search for Earth-like planets.
  • Site: Draft Announcement of Opportunity 2025 Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX)

NASA Space Biology and Physical Sciences Research Studies:

• On January 22, 2025, from 3 PM – 5 PM Eastern Time, the Space Biology and Physical Sciences programs within NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division will host a webinar to discuss the E.9 Space Biology: Research Studies and E.12 Physical Sciences Research Studies program elements recently released under Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2024.
  • Site: Biological and Physical Sciences Pre-Proposer’s Townhall E.9 Space Biology Research Studies and E.12 Physical Sciences Research Studies