What Is INSGC?
Indiana Space Grant Consortium is one of the 52 Consortia part of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. In the state of Indiana, INSGC is a source of NASA-related information, awards and programs.
The consortium works to carry out education, research, and public outreach activities in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) related to space, aeronautics, aviation, and Earth system science, all while advocating increased financial and government support for Space Grant Consortia.
Consisting of 26 different affiliates including colleges, universities, businesses, and other private and public sector institutions, INSGC promotes aerospace education and career training by
-
- Supporting STEM students through various scholarship, internship and fellowship opportunities
- Assisting faculty and students in their development of skills in STEM related fields
- Offering experiential training aligned with NASA Strategic Enterprises, and
- Inspiring public interest in aerospace-related disciplines and lifelong learning through partnerships with educators at all levels...
OSTEM Highlights 2020
Here's why the Space Grant is important!
GRANT TO FUND TRINE RESEARCH INTO SPACEWALK IMPACTS ON ASTRONAUTS
September 21st, 2021
A $15,000 grant from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC) will fund an undergraduate research project at Trine University that seeks to help understand the impact of spacewalks on astronauts.
Trine University biomedical engineering seniors Madison Howard of Pleasant Lake, Michigan, and Ashley Spirrison of Fishers, Indiana, will lead the project, titled “Developing Microfluidic Technology to Model the Vascular Health of Astronauts.” Max Gong, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Bock Department of Biomedical Engineering, will serve as advisor.
The project seeks to help address concerns NASA has regarding the safety of its astronauts while completing missions outside of Earth’s atmosphere, Gong said.
During missions, astronauts execute Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), commonly referred to as spacewalks, to repair and complete quality checks of spacecraft, and for research and exploration purposes. Prior to an EVA, astronauts must be exposed to 100% hyperoxia (a state of excess supply of oxygen in tissues and organs) for approximately five to eight hours, with repeats of the protocol two to three times each week.
This increase in blood oxygenation has been linked to DNA damage to lung tissue, overproduction of nitric oxide, cell damage from lipid peroxidation, and increased pulmonary fibrosis, Gong said.
Hyperoxia also causes blood vessels to narrow and abnormalities in the architecture of organs, limiting blood flow or fluid transfer through organs.
The Trine students will develop microfluidic vasculature-on-a-chip models, engineered models that mimic living tissues, of blood and lymphatic vessels to investigate the relationship between hyperoxia and its negative health effects. Such models have been used to better understand vascular health in diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Gong said, and can be applied to studying and improving the health of astronauts.
The Indiana Space Grant Consortium was created in 1991 under NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The Space Grant national network includes organizations working to expand opportunities for Americans to learn about and participate in NASA’s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

2022-23 INSGC Awards
Name |
University |
Type |
L.Li | Purdue | NASA Summer Internship |
K.Keeyan | Purdue | NASA Summer Internship |
K.Richardson | Ball State | NASA Summer Internship |
S. Black | Indiana University | Masters Fellowship |
E. Dalton | Indiana University | PhD Fellowship |
B.Herrin | Indiana University | PhD Fellowship |
L. Hunter | Indiana University | PhD Fellowship |
H. Howard | Indiana State University | Masters Fellowship |
C. Huebner | Purdue Ft. Wayne | Masters Fellowship |
J.McFadden | Purdue University | PhD Fellowship |
M.Mijju | Purdue University | PhD Fellowship |
D. Zepp Jensen | Purdue Ft. Wayne | Masters Fellowship |
G. Gallagher | Ball State University | Masters Fellowship |
M.Shepley | Ball State University | Masters Fellowship |
I. Zachara | Valparaiso University | Masters Fellowship |
T. Bachman | Purdue University | Gus Grissom Scholarship |
I. Hopf | Purdue University | Gus Grissom Scholarship |
A. Knies | Purdue University | Gus Grissom Scholarship |
R. deRuyter | Indiana University | Project-Foundations in Science and Math |
Gribskov | Purdue University | The 2022 Summer Science Program in Genomics at Purdue University |
C. Nyquist | Purdue University | Purdue Space Day |
H.Abramowitz | Purdue Northwest | 2022 Materials Camp for Teachers |
H.Abramowitz | Purdue Northwest | The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2023 |
M.Zimmer | Purdue Northwest | Undergraduate research in STEM disciplines at Purdue University Northwest |
M.Fisher | Science Central | 2022-23 Coding Club |
M. Fisher | Science Central | Mission to Mars Summer Camp |
P.Startiz | Taylor University | Tools and Methods for Improved 3d Printing of Martian Structures - Part II |
J.Canino | Trine University | AIAA Design, Build, Fly 2023 |
T.Jenkins | Trine University | Team Designs a Human Powered Rover Vehicle 2023 |
J. Lofton | University of Evansville | Student Launch Initiative 2022-23 |
P. Bouyer | Valpariaso University | Effect of environmental factors on fungal morphological and gut clearance |
T.Hillwig | Valpariaso University | UGR in Observational Astronomy Using the SARA Telescopes in Arizona, Chile, and the Canary Islands |
M. Watters | Valpariaso University | Impact of Environmental Factors on Fungal Morphology: Neurospora crassa |
M. Gong | Trine University | Developing an Organotypic Lymphatic System for Modeling Astronaut Health |
C.Brinton | Purdue University | Purdue Aerial Robotics Team (PART) |
C. Iceman | Valparaiso University | Drone technologies for aerosol sampling |
P. Smith | Valparaiso University | An Interdisciplinary Approach to Energy Storage From Chemicals Dissolved in Water |
J.Stone | Indiana State University | Unraveling past hydroclimate dynamics in a high-altitude Sierra Nevada lake |
M. Skoby | Ball State University | Particle Identification in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions at STAR |
M.Nakamoto | Valparaiso University | Role of microgravity and altered day-and-night cycle on vertebrate brain development |
P. Staritz | Taylor University | Low Power Radiation Resistent Martian Greenhouse |
Z. Bi | Purdue Ft. Wayne | Affection Qualification for Democratic Human Machine Interaction (D-HMI) In Teleoperation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) |
A.Malefyt | Trine University | Plasmid design and production of a cancer-targeting monoclonal antibody in mammalian cells for future microgravity applications |
M. Fisher | Science Central | Community Interships 2022-23 |
M. Hammond | Purdue Ft. Wayne | iSTEM |
R. Henry | Terre Hauts Childrens Museum | 2022-23 STEM Program Internships |
M. Voss | Near Space Launch | Countdown to 2024 Total Solar Eclipse STEM Ground-to-Space (GTS) Learning |
Moshammat (Moe) Mijjum awarded INSGC graduate fellowship

EAPS graduate student Moe Mijjum conducted fieldwork in the Indian Deccan Traps last month, the goal of which is to quantify the hiatus durations between successive lava flows. She has been awarded an Indiana Space Grant Consortium graduate fellowship. Photo provided by Mijjum.
The Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC) has awarded Moshammat (Moe) Mijjum an INSGC Graduate Fellowship. The INSGC is one of the 52 Consortia that participate in the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. In the state of Indiana, INSGC is a source of NASA-related information, awards and programs.
“Getting this fellowship is an honor, and will promote my participation in research conferences over the next few years,” says Mijjum. “These conferences are extremely important and valuable to me as a graduate student, as they help me learn about the current state of the field and the open research questions. Her current research aims to quantify the exposure and thermal histories of enstatite chondrites using cosmogenic noble gases.
Mijjum is originally from Los Angeles, California. She earned her undergraduate degree at University of California, Berkeley in the Earth and Planetary Science Department.
“I became interested in geology/planetary science after various research experiences in undergrad. I worked at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab with Dr. Kees Welten in the cosmochemistry lab, studying radionuclides in Antarctic ice cores to constrain the timescales of abrupt climate events,” she says. “This solidified my interest in lab work and using cosmochemistry as a tool for addressing geological research questions. I later worked on my undergraduate senior thesis in Dr. Welten’s lab, studying micrometeorite impacts in the Mo-Pt foils from NASA’s Genesis Mission, which encouraged me to expand my skillset to addressing planetary science questions.”
Mijjum is advised by Dr. Marissa Tremblay, assistant professor with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at the Purdue University College of Science. Tremblay encouraged Mijjum to apply for the fellowship. Given the nature of the sciences covered in EAPS, the INSGC has previously awarded EAPS graduate students with these prestigious awards. She sought their advice when applying.
“I received feedback from older graduate students in the department who have received the award on how to structure my application and what to emphasize in my research statement,” says Mijjum.
After graduate school, Mijjum plans to continue her work with thermochronology. She currently conducts her research in the Thermochronology Lab at Purdue (T@P), and plans to go from this state-of-the-art laboratory onto another that will allow her research to continue seemlessly.
“After Purdue I’m aiming to work at either a NASA facility or national lab, where I can continue using thermochronology as a tool to quantify the exposure/thermal histories of both planetary bodies and terrestrial landscapes,” she says. “I want to work in these settings so I can constantly work with a team of scientists who approach similar research questions from vastly different backgrounds, while also being able to mentor different students via internships/REU programs.”
About the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University
The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) combines four of Purdue’s most interdisciplinary programs: Geology & Geophysics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, and Planetary Sciences. EAPS conducts worldclass research in the Earth and Planetary sciences, educates undergraduate and graduate students, and provides our college, university, state and country with the information necessary to understand the world and universe around us. Our research is globally recognized, our students are highly valued by graduate schools, employers, and our alumni continue to make significant contributions in academia, industry, and federal and state government.
Writer: Cheryl Pierce
Celebrating 100+ satellites in orbit and duel red ribbon cutting June 23
NearSpace Companies have expanded to Downtown Upland. They are celebrating 100+ Satellites in orbit and Red-Ribbon cutting on June 23rd from 12:00-2:00pm.
UPLAND, IN, UNITED STATES, June 8, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NearSpace Launch, Inc. (NSL), an Aerospace Manufacturer of small satellites, and NearSpace Education 501c3 (NSE), a STEM non-profit, have expanded their efforts by moving to their new location at 79 East Railroad Street in Downtown Upland. NSL and NSE will be celebrating 100+ Satellites manufactured and in orbit plus a Red-Ribbon Cutting on June 23rd from 12:00-2:00pm. NearSpace will be open to the community for tours, a high altitude balloon launch and other fun family activities to celebrate the new facility, which creates opportunities and the revitalization of the Upland downtown area.
The celebration follows the recent SpaceX Falcon 9 launch where NSL's TROOP-3 was onboard. The TROOP missions bring systems or subsystems to orbit every 3 to 6 months. "It is a very exciting time to be a part of the Space community" says Dr. Hank Voss, Co-Founder of NSL. “The current commercial growth is expanding rapidly and NearSpace gets to be a part of it."
The celebration agenda will begin in the afternoon with tours of the new facilities, followed by a balloon launch, and the red-ribbon cutting. The event is family friendly as there will be special speakers, a bouncy house, farmers market, and local food providers. Join us for this special day!
Nearspace Launch
NearSpace Launch, Inc. (NSL) has flown 700+ systems and subsystems in space over the past six years. Also, we’re the builders of Indiana and Iowa’s first ever satellites. NSL performs research and manufactures ThinSats, CubeSats, Black Box’s, and Sat to Sat enabled communication systems (EyeStar radios) for a variety of commercial, governmental, and educational applications. For further questions please contact Matthew Voss at mattvoss@nearspacelaunch.com
NearSpace Education
NearSpace Education (NSE) seeks to support the education of the next generation of professionals, researchers and space scientists through innovative educational programs. For further questions please contact Brandon Pearson, STEM Director at brandonpearson@nearspaceeducation.org
Matthew Voss
NearSpace Launch Inc. (NSL)
+1 765-618-3814

Our Trine University student team took 2nd place overall in the NASA HERC competition this year, with the awards ceremony held virtually today.
This is a best finish for the team going back to 2010 and the 3rd year in a row that the Trine team earned an award.
Congratulations Trine University!
Purdue Aerial Robotics Team Annual Report 2021 - 2022
Team Purpose:
Mature students into principled industry leaders for their post-undergraduate careers by executing a comprehensive industry standard approach to interdisciplinary design, prototyping, and systems engineering.
Pathways Internship Employment Program (IEP) Opportunity at NASA

ROCK ON 2022!
The Next How-To Workshop
- Held Virtually But Still Super Awesome!
- 15th annual "Rock On" event
Registration for RockOn 2022 is now open. Thank you for your patience while we figured everything out. Unfortunately, the workshop will be virtual again but done the same way as last year, which according to the surveys, was very well received by the participants. There is a chance that this year teams may have the opportunity come to watch the launch. I will not know for sure until late April or May.
I did change how registration is done this year based on feedback from last year. When you register this year, you are registering a team not an individual. You may have one individual or 3 or more on a team. It is totally up to you but each team will be sent one kit. I hope to have 60 kits available for this year’s RockOn but it could be less due to labor and part shortages. We hope to fly 32 to 40 kits on the Sounding Rocket flight in June and 20 to 28 on the HASP flight in September.
If you believe you already have reserved a spot with myself or someone else on my team via email, phone call, text, USPS letter, or mystic thoughts, you must register to officially secure your team(s) spot(s).
https://spacegrant.colorado.edu/national-programs/rockon-home
The application is now open! For more information view the link below.
NASA space grant funds research projects
Valparaiso University was awarded over $100,000 from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC), a not-for-profit organization consisting of 23 schools and corporate affiliates. This money will fund five research projects for faculty and students over the summer. Since Valpo joined the INSGC in 1996, faculty have applied for grants to conduct research. They apply by submitting proposals relating to NASA’s basic objectives.
“[The proposals] all have to relate in some way to one of NASA's core objectives. So, if you look at the titles of the grants, they may relate to things like the growth of organisms in space or something having to do with that,” said Assistant Director of Student Research Stan Zygmunt.
NASA gave out the grants to develop and train the next generation of scientists in several disciplines.
“And so these are people that NASA wants to support, so that they can build up national infrastructure for American science,” Zygmunt said.
The projects funded through these grants are part of Valpo’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program, a summer internship for students. As the INSGC is a subsidiary of NASA, the program is primarily for students in STEM majors. The internship is paid and provides free summer housing.
More importantly, it gives undergraduate students an opportunity to devote time to research something in which they’re interested.
“Having these experiences for a student, I think is very important, not only for students who want to go on and get a Masters or PhD, but for any student who's interested in learning more deeply about a subject and understanding how research works. Or you just get to know the area in a much deeper level than you would during the year in classes,” Provost Eric Johnson said.
Fourteen undergraduate Valpo students completed the internship this year in subjects such as biology, chemistry, engineering, astronomy and physics. Two students from Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso, IN were also accepted to join.
The projects covered a range of topics, with Zygmunt explaining that all of the research revolved around resolving practical issues in space travel. One included creating compounds to combat superbugs on the International Space Station.
“The application of that connection with space was ‘Hey you might be up in the space station for long periods of time and what sorts of odd organisms and bugs might we get up there’. Somebody gets sick, you can't bring your doctor up there all of a sudden to treat it, so you've got to develop resources that could be helpful in those environments,” Zygmunt said.
For astronomy students, the grants provide half the amount of funding for the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy, through which Professor of Physics and Astronomy Todd Hillwig is able to lead students in operating three off-site telescopes, which are shared between multiple universities.
“There’s a telescope in Arizona, there's a telescope in Chile, and another one in the Canary Islands, that Professor Hillwig in our department is able to use to do observations for his research and there's an annual fee for that. The Space Grant gives us partial support to pay that fee,” Zygmunt said.
In addition, researchers attended weekly workshops on various STEM topics. These included “Diversity & Inclusion,” “Oral Presentations,” “Ethics in Research” and “Abstracts & Posters.”
All of the work conducted throughout the internship culminated with the Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium on July 23. The symposium allowed students to present their research to a larger audience and also featured guest speaker Dr. Karin Calvinho of startup company RenewCO2.
“The whole purpose is to highlight, to showcase all that you've done over the summer. It gives the students a great opportunity to talk with other faculty, with the administrators about what they did,” Johnson said.
Zygmunt is hoping the internship will be open to a broader range of studies in future years than just STEM disciplines.
“And so, we're always interested and excited about faculty members in other parts of [the] university who want to do research with students in the summers. It's just part of the culture in science and engineering, but [we’re] hoping to see that expand to other areas,” Zygmunt said.
For those interested, the student researchers will be presenting their work at a Fall Symposium. It will take place Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. in the Center for the Sciences.
INSGC Photo Of The Day
June 28th, 2022
Explanation: Which part of the Moon is this? No part -- because this is the planet Mercury. Mercury's old surface is heavily cratered like that of Earth's Moon. Mercury, while only slightly larger than Luna, is much denser and more massive than any Solar System moon because it is made mostly of iron. In fact, our Earth is the only planet more dense. Because Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits around the Sun, and because Mercury's orbit is so elliptical, visitors on Mercury could see the Sun rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the rising horizon, stop again, and then set quickly over the other horizon. From Earth, Mercury's proximity to the Sun causes it to be visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise. The featured image was captured last week by ESA and JAXA's passing BepiColombo spacecraft as it sheds energy and prepares to orbit the innermost planet starting in 2025.


Funding
Funding source for INSGC Fellowships, Internships; Research and Outreach Project funding for Higher Education, K-12, and Informal Education through INSGC affiliates.
Need Funding?
Browse through the opportunities we offer and apply today!
K-12
Indiana Space Grant Consortium supports K-12 education by offering space based resources to excite children about STEM and NASA education. You can find these resources below.
Educational Resources


Teacher Resources
Educational Programs

Higher Education
INSGC higher education affiliates throughout Indiana with eligible students, must be a US citizen, enrolled full-time as a collegiate student, be involved in STEM related research or STEM education project, are eligible to apply for scholarship/fellowship.
View our Academic pages for more information.
Looking For Career Opportunities?
INSGC currently has a career page with information
and a few valuable resources!
The INSGC twitter page is linked above. There will also be a link to our INSGC Facebook page shortly.