About Us
Drilling holes on the Red Planet: This image shows the Highfield drill hole, on Vera Rubin Ridge in Gale crater on Mars, made by NASA’s Curiosity rover in its search for rock samples. In January 2022, scientists announced that an analysis of rock samples collected by the rover were enriched in carbon 12, a type of carbon that on Earth is associated with biological processes. NASA image. Read more
In 1989, NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project, known familiarly as “Space Grant,” and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium (PSGC) was established at The Pennsylvania State University’s University Park campus. The national Space Grant mission is to expand opportunities for U.S. citizens to learn about and participate in NASA’s aeronautics and space programs by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and outreach programs. The PSGC is part of a national network of 52 consortia in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Currently, the PSGC is composed of fifteen Pennsylvania public and private universities and colleges that work together with industry, science centers and museums, and state and local partners to increase our residents’ understanding and participation in the economic, educational, and scientific benefits of U.S. aeronautics and space programs.
To achieve these goals, the PSGC supports an array of programming to develop opportunities for participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and discovery. These programs include opportunities for higher education students to be involved with NASA-relevant projects — including student flight programs — training members of underrepresented groups for NASA-related careers and promoting a strong STEM education base from elementary through secondary levels.
Please feel free to contact me or any member of the PSGC for further information.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Christopher H. House
Director, NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium
