NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium

08/27/2026

Don't miss it! 🌕

Tonight there will be a partial lunar eclipse starting at 10:34 pm, EDT. The peak of the eclipse will be happen at 12:13 am EDT with 96.3% of the Moon's disk being covered by the Earth's shadow! 🌎

The eclipse will be visible in North and South America as well as parts of Europe and Africa!

To learn more about what an eclipse is read here:
https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students/what-is-an-eclipse-grades-5-8/

08/26/2026

🚀 Explore Career Opportunities at NASA!

Join NASA Pathways for a Virtual Internship Information Session to learn more about NASA Pathways, Early Careers, and OSTEM internship opportunities.

📅 Thursday, August 27, 2026
⏰ 3:30 PM ET
💻 Virtual via Microsoft Teams

Hear directly from NASA representatives and get helpful guidance on resumes, interviews, applications, and preparing for internship opportunities.

🎓 Open to college sophomores, juniors, seniors planning to attend graduate school, current graduate students, and recent graduates.

U.S. citizenship is required for NASA Pathways, Early Careers, and OSTEM Internship Programs.

🔗 Register through NASA STEM Gateway.

08/24/2026

🚀 Interested in a career in space, defense, or aviation?

Applications are now open for the 2027 Patti Grace Smith Fellowship!

The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship provides paid internships, scholarships, and executive mentorship in the aerospace industry, with opportunities across disciplines including engineering, science, policy, business, journalism, and more.

📅 Applications are open through October 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Who qualifies?

Students must:
• Be currently enrolled in an associate or undergraduate degree program
• Be a U.S. Person (Citizen, Permanent Resident, or lawfully admitted refugee/asylum seeker legally able to work)
• Have strong moral character and be dedicated to furthering the mission of the program and its community
• Be in the beginning stages of their aerospace career

Preference is given to students seeking their first paid summer job in the aerospace industry, although special circumstances may be considered.

🌟 Why apply?

Fellows have the opportunity to intern with more than 20 leading host companies, including Blue Origin, Astroscale, SpaceX, Airbus, and more. Fellows also participate in a four-day summer summit, build connections with their cohort, network with aerospace professionals, and receive guidance from executive and professional mentors.

🔗 Learn more and apply: pgsfellowship.org/apply

08/21/2026

🚀 Summer 2026 Intern Spotlight: Aurora Flight Sciences ✈️

Today, we’re highlighting three West Virginia University students who spent their summer interning with Aurora Flight Sciences in partnership with the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium!

📸 Pictured from left to right:

⭐ Madison Hansberry of Bridgeport, WV, is a sophomore pursuing a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.

⭐ Audrey Doyle of Reedsville, WV, is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.

⭐ Veronica Galizia of Jefferson Hills, PA, is a junior pursuing dual B.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Through opportunities like these, students gain real-world experience, strengthen their technical skills, and explore future careers in engineering and aerospace. We’re excited to celebrate Madison, Audrey, and Veronica and their accomplishments this summer! 👏✨

08/19/2026

🛠️ West Virginia Makes Festival 2026! 💡

Calling all makers, creators, innovators, and inventors! The West Virginia Makes Festival returns this fall for its 13th year, celebrating creativity and ingenuity from across the Mountain State.

📅 Friday, October 2, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Marshall University Student Center

Makers of all types and ages are invited to bring their inventions, innovations, and creations to showcase and compete for cash and other prizes. The festival will also feature interactive displays, hands-on making activities, live music, and more!

Whether you want to showcase what you’ve made, participate as an exhibitor, or simply attend and explore, there’s something for everyone.

🔗 Registration is now open! Learn more and register:
https://www.mfg.marshall.edu/2026-west-virginia-makes-festival/

08/17/2026

🚀🎨 Applications are Open for the 2026–2027 NASA Psyche Inspired Program!

Undergraduate students are invited to apply for the NASA Psyche Inspired Program, a unique opportunity to combine creativity with space exploration.

Psyche Inspired brings together undergraduate students from a wide range of majors and disciplines to share the excitement, innovation, science, and engineering of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public through original creative works.

🎨 Who can apply?
The program is open to creative, full-time undergraduate students enrolled at universities and community colleges in the United States and its territories, regardless of major. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Selected students will have the opportunity to:
• Create four original creative works throughout the 2026–2027 academic year
• Connect with Psyche scientists, engineers, staff, and fellow students
• Gain experience communicating science and engineering through creative expression
• Have their work highlighted through Psyche mission platforms and featured in an online showcase and printed coffee table book

Creative mediums can include graphic design, photography, painting, illustration, film, animation, music, creative writing, poetry, fashion, sculpture, digital art, and more. 🎭📸

📅 Application Deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026, at 12 p.m. PDT

🔗 Learn more and apply: https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu/get-involved/psyche-inspired/

🌌 Explore the intersection of creativity, science, and space exploration through the NASA Psyche Inspired Program!

Join the journey as NASA’s Psyche mission team prepares for a targe...

08/12/2026

🚀 Calling West Virginia Undergraduate Students: Take on the CanSat Competition! 🛰️

Ready to put your engineering and STEM skills to the test? The CanSat Competition, organized by the American Astronautical Society, gives university students the opportunity to experience the full lifecycle of a real-world aerospace engineering project.

Teams will work together to design, build, test, launch, and analyze a simulated satellite payload while gaining hands-on experience in systems integration, mission operations, teamwork, problem-solving, and project management.

💰 $5,000 in NASA WV Space Grant Support Available!

The NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium will provide $5,000 in support to a West Virginia team selected to participate in the CanSat Competition.

📅 Registration opens to undergraduate students in September!

Whether you're interested in aerospace, engineering, computer science, physics, or another STEM field, this is an exciting opportunity to turn what you’ve learned in the classroom into a real mission.

Learn more and get ready for registration at cansatcompetition.com!

08/03/2026

Join NASA’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Day at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center for a live virtual event designed to introduce students to exciting technical career pathways at NASA.

📅 Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026
🕧 Time: 12:30–1:15 p.m. ET (9:30–10:15 a.m. PT)
📝 Registration Deadline: Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET

During this interactive session, students will hear from NASA professionals in fields including:
✈️ Aviation Mechanics
⚙️ Welding
🏭 Manufacturing & Fabrication
🔧 Engineering Technology
👩‍🚀 Skilled Technical Careers

Participants will learn about the day-to-day work of NASA's technical workforce, hear inspiring career journeys from subject matter experts, and discover the many pathways to a career supporting NASA's mission.

This event is open to high school students, career technical/trade education students, and college/university students. Individual students and classrooms are welcome to register.

Register below!

07/29/2026

🚀 A Look Inside the Summer 2026 NASA WV Space Grant Internship Experience! 🌎✨

From NASA centers to industry partners and university research labs, our NASA WV Space Grant interns have spent the summer gaining hands-on experience, developing new skills, and exploring exciting career paths in STEM.

This week, we're spotlighting Lis Shala (WVWC), who interned at NASA Langley Research Center; Madison Hansberry (WVU), who interned at Aurora Flight Sciences; and Griffin Thomas (WVWC), who participated in the West Virginia University Robotics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU).

Read below to learn more about their experiences and join us in congratulating them on a successful summer! 👏✨

07/28/2026

WVRoX is free and open to the public. See you at Fairmont State University’s Falcon Center.