Sabrina Thompson, a NASA aerospace engineer and founder of streetwear brand Girl In Space Club (GISC), is using her passion for sneakers to ignite the curiosity of young minds in science, space, and technology. The 38-year-old’s initiative, STEMulating Art, is bridging the gap between creativity and technical skills for young minds. Designing a pair of kicks for the moon Thompson noticed that while kids were excited to meet a rocket scientist like herself, they had trouble connecting with the technical aspects of her work. Determined to bring space exploration down
Meet Victor Glover, the NASA astronaut who is set to make history as the first Black man to venture to the Moon. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have announced the four astronauts selected to fly on Artemis II, the first crewed mission in NASA’s ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Pilot Victor Glover will board the Orion spacecraft and embark on a flyby of the Moon with Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission
NASA has announced plans to award eight HBCUs $11.7 million through its Data Science Equity, Access, and Priority in Research and Education (DEAP) opportunity. The selected HBCU institutions will be picked by the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) and the Science Mission Directorate, who will work alongside NASA to launch the DEAP opportunity. “The increasing use of data science at NASA and beyond really drives home the need for a future workforce with data science knowledge,” said Mike Kincaid, associate administrator of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. “With our newest collaboration, NASA
Why wait for Black History Month to celebrate Black talent? According to Zippia, Black people comprise 13% of NASA’s workforce, each playing a significant role in astronomy and space exploration. Here are some of them. Dr. Christian Braneon – Climate Scientist Dr. Christian Braneon was a climate scientist and civil engineer at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) from 2017 to 2022. Dr. Braneon co-leads the Environmental Justice and Climate Just Cities Network (EJCJC) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and serves as Co-Chair of the New York City Panel
After launching the International Space Station on October 5, Nicole Aunapu Mann made history as the first Native American woman to travel to space. Who is Nicole Mann? Mann, 45, is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut in California. After graduating from Stanford University, she received her masters in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She is registered with the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. Not only has she broken records as the first Native American woman to travel to space, but as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission commander,
Aisha Bowe
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is the first HBCU to embark on new research programs in partnership with NASA. WSSU’s Astrobotany Lab has signed a four-year agreement with NASA to research food development with a team of aspiring scientists. The lab which is filled with all the materials needed to grow plants, fruits, and vegetables, uses synthetic dirt to figure out how to grow food in Mars. The program is led by Professor Dr. Rafael Loueiro leads and aims to allow students to see the fascinating world of plants as well as the study
American actress Sonequa Martin-Green has teamed up with snack brand Frito-Lay Variety Packs and STEM Next’s Million Girls Moonshot to provide young girls with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning opportunities. The partnership, which will come under the Back-to-School Blast Off program, aims to encourage the next generation of women to pursue careers in STEM. Through the initiative, families can enjoy STEM activities created by NASA scientists using everyday household items, such as designing a heat shield or building a moon lander. “Representation matters, and sometimes, all it takes to
This week, the world saw the “deepest, sharpest infrared view of the universe” ever taken by the U.S. Space Agency, NASA. The milestone project was led by Gregory Robinson, a Black scientist at the agency. At NASA, Robinson, 62, is a rarity: a Black man among the agency’s top managers. Robinson was comfortable at another job working as an Associate Deputy Administrator for Programs at NASA when he was asked to take over a stalled NASA project in 2018 after billions of dollars were sunk into the program without yielding
Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is the first Nigerian female to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Qatar Airways, and she flew the Boeing 767 Aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. Sowemimo hails from Ogbomoso, in Oyo State Nigeria, and graduated from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. After her pilot training, she flew off to Florida in the United States for her standard pilot course. On finishing her training at the age of 21, Sowemimo returned to university in Nigeria to complete her education. Sowemimo joined Medview operations Abuja in 2013 till
