News

A woman smiles as she sticks a cord into an empty beaker in a lab.

Jun 3, 2026

NC Space Grant Announces New Graduate Research Fellows for the 2026-2027 Year

North Carolina Space Grant is proud to announce 16 graduate research fellows for 2026-2027. These students, representing six different universities, will conduct science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research to benefit NASA Mission Directorates. Students’ projects will investigate STEM topics such as exoplanet discovery with machine learning, plant and microbial adaptation to spaceflight, and next-generation spacesuit technologies.

Twelve headshots of college students, a mix of men and women.

Jun 3, 2026

NC Space Grant Congratulates 2026-27 Undergraduate Research Scholars

North Carolina Space Grant is proud to announce its 2026-27 undergraduate research scholars, who will conduct exciting research that prepares them for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These competitive scholarships help students gain hands-on research experience aligned with NASA Mission Directorates, including human spaceflight, research and technology, and science.

A team about to launch their high altitude balloon

May 29, 2026

North Carolina Community Colleges Fly High in the Annual High-Altitude Ballooning Challenge

In early March, teams from across the state assembled at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC to compete in the 2024 North Carolina Space Grant Community College High-Altitude Ballooning Challenge (HABC). Awards were given in various categories, such as Highest Altitude and Best Photo, with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s team taking home the Best Overall Team award.

Large screen and an audience looking toward it.

May 11, 2026

NC Space Symposium Highlights Pathways to the Space and Aerospace Industries

Raleigh, N.C. – The 2026 North Carolina Space Symposium, hosted at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center, brought together students, researchers, and industry leaders for a day highlighting innovative research,…

image: Former Sea to Stars fellow Colleen Brown (right) after presenting her research to former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (left).

Apr 15, 2026

NOAA’s National Knauss Program Selects Former Sea to Stars Fellow Colleen Brown

As the new April 27 application deadline approaches for this year’s Sea to Stars Fellowship, former fellow Colleen Brown is about to begin federal service through a highly selective national program.

image: former joint North Carolina Sea Grant-Space Grant Fellow Melinda Martinez.

Dec 10, 2025

Early Warnings

A former joint North Carolina Sea Grant-Space Grant Fellow is pioneering a new method that will inform planning.

image: A poultry operation floods after Hurricane Florence in 2018.

Nov 25, 2025

Mapping the Impacts of North Carolina’s Poultry Industry

A former joint North Carolina Sea Grant and NC Space Grant Graduate Research Fellow has been studying sources of nutrient pollution in the lower Cape Fear River basin, investigating water quality changes during the past two decades.

Nov 20, 2025

Industry Day at Collier Aerospace

Fellows, scholars, and interns supported by NC Space Grant had the unique opportunity to visit Collier Aerospace, with its engineering services office located in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Collier is seeking…

Nov 12, 2025

Drone Imagery Shows Shoreline Changes at Rachel Carson Reserve

A new North Carolina Sea Grant and NC Space Grant study using drone imagery reveals erosion of marsh and shoreline along Carrot Island in Beaufort, North Carolina.

image: A North Atlantic right whale generated by A.I.

Oct 29, 2025

Deepfake Whales Could Be Key Conservation Tool

A former NC Space Grant Research Scholar explores how AI-generated images of rare species could improve efforts to understand, monitor, and protect them.