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The Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium (PSGC) is one of 52 members of “NASA Space Grant.” NASA Space Grant is a national network of colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that were created and now supported by NASA. The 52 consortia fund fellowships and scholarships for students pursuing careers in science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) as well as curriculum enhancement and faculty development. Member colleges and universities also administer pre-college and public service education projects in their states.

Our mission at PSGC is to expand opportunities for Pennsylvanians to learn about and participate in NASA’s aeronautics and space programs by supporting STEM education, research, and outreach programs. We do this by working to achieve the following objectives.

Our Objectives are:

• Develop and promote opportunities for students to participate in research and discovery.
• Provide graduate and undergraduate training in NASA-related fields through the mechanism of fellowship and scholarship awards.
• Support the development of interdisciplinary courses, curricula, and workshops, including introductory courses designed for undergraduate students not majoring in scientific or technological disciplines.
• Model diversity in space grant leadership, programs, and activities; implement programs targeted at increasing retention rate of students from underrepresented groups in science and engineering.
• Provide information and programs to increase access to the excitement knowledge, and technology from America’s earth, air, and space programs; establish PSGC as a viable state resource and catalyst for aerospace research, education, and economic development.
• Cultivate a statewide network of partners from universities, industry, museums, science centers, state, and local agencies to pursue aerospace research, education, and economic development goals
• Develop earth, air, and space programs to enhance public scientific literacy and to complement community needs.

The primary way we achieve our objectives is through the various programs at our lead institution and at affiliate campuses. These programs are designed to parallel the individual strengths of those institutions, while complementing our strategic goals and the overall need of the commonwealth.  Our programming emphasizes NASA-related undergraduate and graduate student research by support of fellowships, scholarships, and higher education program. Diversity is always a consideration in program design as we strive to engage more students from minority and underrepresented populations in STEM.

Our Fundamental Programs are:

• NASA Center Internships
• Statewide Undergraduate Scholarships
• Graduate Research Fellowships
• Undergraduate Hands-On Research Experiences
• University Space Programs Laboratories
• Student-Led High-Altitude Balloon and Rocketry Projects
• Mini Grants for Early Career Faculty and Academic Researchers
• Professional Development Workshops for STEM Educators
• Informal STEM Education Events and Activities for K-12 and Community Involvement

If you are interested in any of our programs, please check the Support section in the upper right-hand corner to learn more about them. If you have any specific questions or interests in our programs, please contact us at spacegrant@psu.edu.

Contact us

The PSGC’s administration office at Penn State’s University Park campus is proceeding with normal operations as we function in a hybrid in-office and telework mode.

The PSGC administration office is in Suite 218 in the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, 2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building. Please contact us at spacegrant@psu.edu.

Sincerely,

Dr. Christopher H. House,  Director
Dr. Erin DiMaggio, Associate Director
Bethany DiLello, Education Program Coordinator
Jessica Fetchko, Program Coordinator
Caitlin Teti, Education Support Specialist