News

by Jonathan Amos,
Science correspondent, BBC News, Pasadena

by Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor

by SPACE.com Staff

by Pete Spotts, The Christian Science Monitory, Staff writer

by Nancy Atkinson, Universe Today

by SPACE.com staff

Over 800 programs - REU and other summer research opportunities for undergrads

Bridge to the Doctorate, IGERT and NSF Grad Research Fellowship programs provide generous stipend and tuition support for students through the National Science Foundation

By Dr. Victor Land, Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research ( CASPER ) - Translated from Dutch to English using Google Translate

By Dr. Victor Land, Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research ( CASPER ) - Translated from Dutch to English using Google Translate

NASA is accepting applications from science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, and doctoral students.

"Zero Gravity for Zero Dollars: Best Student Discount Ever"
 

Wired magazine profiles a unique NASA program for undergraduate research teams.

The National Solar Observatory is pleased to announce two summer research opportunities and one graduate school opportunity for your students in Astronomy and Physics.

These summer internships provide undergraduates an opportunity to conduct research in a "graduate school" setting in the following fields: 1) biological sciences, 2) computer and information sciences, 3) engineering, 4) geosciences, and 5) mathematical and physical sciences.

The NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) awards fellowships (also called GSRP Training Grants) for graduate study leading to masters or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering related to NASA research and development.

NASA¹s Undergraduate Student Research Program is currently accepting applications for 10-week summer 2008 internships. These internships offer students the opportunity to work alongside NASA scientists and engineers at NASA's centers, laboratories and test facilities.

Texas A&M University Ph.D. Training Program in Space Life Sciences is a training program, advertised on NASA.gov, the Health Physics Society members webpage, American Society for Nutrition careers webpage, and The American Physiological Society website, just to name a few.

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2008.

The TAMU-SLS program is a unique program that offers students the opportunity to work with experts in the fields of Kinesiology, Nuclear Engineering (Health Physics) and Nutrition and learn about three critical problems associated with long duration space flight; bone loss, muscle wasting, and the effects of cosmic radiation. In addition, students will gain the specific training in either nutritional and/or exercise physiology countermeasures against these major biological problems.

Jefferson Science Associates, LLC (JSA)* plans to award eight fellowships in March 2008 to doctoral program graduate students at SURA member universities for research related to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in Newport News, VA. Application deadline: January 25, 2008. Seven awards are for research related to the theoretical and experimental programs of the Lab, including nuclear and related particle physics, accelerator physics, and associated science and engineering..An additional fellowship is available for research related to the Lab's free electron laser program.

This annual competition is open to university students from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Teams of 2-10 students are required to design and build a space-type system called a CanSat. Each CanSat is the size of a soda can and must be built according to the specifications released by the competition organizing committee. Participants are involved in the end-to-end life cycle of a complex engineering project, from conceptual design, through integration and test, actual operation of the system, and the conclusion with a post-mission summary and debriefing.

TSGC Fellowship Program

Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis with consideration of (1) excellence in academics, (2) interest in space, and (3) recommendations from the applicant's institution. The application deadline for TSGC Fellowship is April 11, 2008.

TSGC Columbia Crew Memorial Scholarship Program

These scholarships are intended to recognize high-quality students and encourage their consideration of graduate studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields which will ultimately lead to careers in space related fields. The scholarships stress:

Excellence in academics
Participation in space education projects
Participation in research projects
Exhibited leadership qualities

TSGC encourages participation by members of under-represented groups. The application deadline for the Columbia Crew Memorial Scholarship is March 21, 2008.

Announcement of Faculty Opportunity:Summer 2008 will mark the second year of The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Space Grant Faculty Project. This Project was established to create a more synergistic approach for collaboration between NASA and the academic community that contributes to the Agency's objectives.

Ten faculty will be competitively selected to work for five weeks at the ten NASA Field Centers. Each faculty will be tasked to gather senior design project ideas and internship opportunities relative to Exploration in support of the ESMD Space Grant Program. THEY WILL NOT BE CONDUCTING RESEARCH. In addition to this task, each faculty will be required to capture data on all educational projects funded by ESMD education projects managed out of NASA Headquarters, and identify all educational projects funded by ESMD agency wide. 
In the Summer of 2008, all faculty will attend a four day meeting at KSC approximately two weeks after completing their tenure. In the lessons learned from the Summer of 2007 it was discovered that their needs to be some lag time between their Center completion and the meeting at KSC. This is due to information that is collected during the last week, and time needed to write up a summary.

Astronomers have spotted evidence of a second Earth being built around a distant star 424 light-years away.

HAMPTON, Va. - A new NASA contest encourages university art and design students to partner with science and engineering departments to create art representative of living and working on the moon. The goal is for students in the arts, science and engineering to collaboratively engage in NASA's mission to return humans to the moon by 2020, and eventually journey on to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Design topics submitted by NASA researchers are currently available for student team selection for the Fall 2007 semester. As classes begin, interested student teams will submit a "design brief" to indicate project preference and desire to participate in the DESIGN CHALLENGE over one or two semesters.

Participating teams will:

work alongside a mentor through a series of project milestones called Levels and Option Areas;
earn funds to support the team's design project and the department's design program
qualify for travel funds to enable the team and faculty advisor to present the team's design at the DESIGN CHALLENGE SHOWCASE in Houston
have the opportunity to earn team scholarships

NASA/Texas Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Scholarship Program have been established for junior or senior-level students interested in space-related education and research.

Undergraduate scholarships are intended to recognize high-quality students and encourage their consideration of graduate studies. The Scholarships stress:

Above-average performance in academics
Participation in Space Related research projects
Exhibited leadership qualities

TSGC encourages participation by members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering.

Deadline: June 8, 2007

The Fusion Science Center for Extreme States of Matter is organizing a 2007 Summer School in High Energy Density Physics at the University of California, San Diego on July 29-August 4, 2007.

Financial support for travel and per diem expenses is available.
Applications may be filled out on line. For more information, and proceedings of the 2005 Summer School, please visit:
http://hedpschool.lle.rochester.edu

Online Registration Deadline: March 15, 2007

NASA's ESMD [Exploration Systems Mission Directorate] is partnering with the National Space Grant Consortia to offer five university faculty members an opportunity to spend a total of 10 weeks at two NASA Centers gathering senior design project ideas and internship opportunity information in support of the ESMD/Space Grant Program.

Space Adventures, the world's premiere space experiences company, is seeking a highly motivated undergraduate or graduate student for a summer 2007 internship. The intern will report to the Program Development division's Principal Engineer. Duties will be dynamic but will primarily focus on International Space Station research and experiment opportunities. Candidates should be pursuing a degree in engineering or the sciences; candidates with knowledge of International Space Station research are highly encouraged to apply. Candidates should be available mid-May to mid-August but timeframe is flexible. Hourly rate will be commensurate with experience.

This current issue includes the best of the new, plus some additional high points from 2006. We hope that, armed with the plethora of knowledge provided in both this and our December science 'year-in-brief' you feel well equipped to dive into your 2007 endeavors.

The New Investigators Program (TSGC NIP), established in 2003, is designed to assist in the professional development of faculty members or researchers who strive to begin a career in research and are within 4 years of their initial academic appointments. TSGC will accept proposals from individuals who are either currently conducting or strive to conduct research aligned with NASA's strategic plan and research requirements and do not have an established research career.

The Texas Space Grant Consortium has a long history of conducting space related Higher Education Programs across the state and the nation. TSGC is currently soliciting proposals that are designed to enhance students understanding of the benefits of space exploration and space based research.

The Texas Space Grant Consortium has a long history of conducting space related Educational Programs at the K-12 level across the state and the nation. TSGC is currently soliciting proposals that are designed to enhance students understanding of the benefits of space exploration and space based research.

ASEE is pleased to announce the opening of the 2007 application for the Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation Defense Scholarship for Service Program (SMART). The SMART Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support the education and recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This program is used to recruit and to retain civilian scientists and engineers to work in DoD agencies and laboratories.

The Universities Space Research Association announced today that Dr. Frederick A. Tarantino has been selected as its President and CEO. Dr. Tarantino brings to USRA a strong record of management accomplishments for a major nonprofit laboratory, private industry, and the federal government. He was selected through a national search conducted by the USRA Board of Trustees.

Katy Polk entertains an exceptionally wide variety of interests, from sailing and playing the harp to jujitsu and snakes, yet she knew that science would be in her future when she came to Baylor.

Americans John C. Mather and George F. Smoot won the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics today for producing the first tangible evidence that the universe began billions of years ago with the long-theorized big bang.

Come see our booth at the nanoTX' 06 Convention September 27-28, 2006 at the Dallas Convention Center

Baylor University has been awarded membership in a prestigious national research consortium, a move which university officials say will boost research and education opportunities at the Waco campus and beyond.

Dr. Steven D. Howe was appointed the first Director of the Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR) on August 12, 2005. He will assume duties on September 19, 2005. Dr. Howe is currently a staff member in the Thermonuclear Applications group of the Applied Physics Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Ann Holdsworth
Fiscal Notes
March 2005

Small Times
March 2005

The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded a $500,000 grant to a statewide partnership led by Texas State Technical College-Waco (TSTC), Baylor University and Zyvex Corp., in which Baylor's Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER) plays a significant role.

CASPER's new website includes (among other things) detailed descriptions of both its graduate and undergraduate programs, Center research initiatives and a listing of CASPER personnel.