All posts by Alesha Roll

Subramanian earns Iowa NASA EPSCoR Research Building Seed Grant

October 2, 2024NewsAlesha Roll

Credit: Simpson College

Simpson College Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Dr. Aswati Subramanian has been awarded an Iowa NASA EPSCoR Research Building Seed grant. EPSCoR stands for “Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research.” Dr. Subramanian’s $30,600 grant supports NASA-relevant science and engineering research within Iowa.

Subramanian will use the funding to support a Simpson undergraduate research project on astrobiology during the 2024-25 academic year. Simpson students Sam Derning and Layna Depping will benefit from the grant, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to collaborate one-on-one with scientists at Kennedy Space Center and associated space biology labs.

“I’m incredibly thrilled about this opportunity,” said Subramanian. “Such projects make academia exciting, accessible, inclusive and engaging for our students. In the future, I plan to expand this research to include other departments and divisions across campus. There is significant potential for interdisciplinary collaborations!”

The research seed grant is awarded with the stipulation that investigators will apply next year to the more extensive federally distributed NASA-EPSCoR grants. Dr. Subramanian intends to seek future funds for creating a space biology lab at Simpson. Such a lab would create more research opportunities for Simpson undergraduate students while creating a pipeline for them to join NASA labs for summer internships and/or post-graduate studies.

The Iowa NASA EPSCoR Research Building Seed Grant (RBSG) program encourages, supports, and facilitates the development and enhancement of NASA relevant science and engineering research within the State of Iowa. Funding is intended to build research infrastructure and help Iowa’s academic faculty establish NASA collaboration in order to become nationally competitive for NASA EPSCoR research funding.

Read: https://simpson.edu/news/subramanian-earns-iowa-nasa-epscor-research-building-seed-grant

NASA Selects Four Iowa Research Proposals for EPSCoR Funding

July 25, 2024NewsNASA EPSCoR, R3, Rapid Response ResearchAlesha Roll

Four Iowa State University researchers have been selected to receive funding from the NASA Established Program to Simulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Rapid Response Research (R3) program for fiscal year 2024. EPSCoR is designed to effect lasting improvements in Iowa’s research infrastructure through developing a federal-state partnership aimed at increasing Iowa’s national research competitiveness. The R3 funding awards create a collaborative research effort between NASA EPSCoR programs and NASA mission Directorate Programs. The application is an annual competitive process completed with the support of Iowa NASA EPSCoR.

The goal of the R3 program is to develop innovative collaborations between NASA professionals and other industry and university faculty members to solve the current challenges NASA researchers face.

Iowa State’s Department of Aerospace Engineering Assistant Professor, Simone Servadio has received funding for his research proposal entitled “Parameters Estimation for Informed Orbit Capacity Models, STMD.”

Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor, Reza Montazami submitted his proposal “On-Demand Manufacturing of Soft Bioionic and Bioelectronic Devices for In-Space Cell Studies, STMD, ESDMD, SOMD” and has also been selected to receive funding.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Saikat Mukherjee received funding for his project proposal “Numerical Modeling of Perivascular Cerebrospinal Fluid-Induced Optic Disc Edema in Astronauts, SOMD.”
“This prestigious award provides a perfect platform to launch my career in biofluid dynamics. The research will drive future medical interventions and novel countermeasures against spaceflight risks that will be key to future extra-planetary voyages,” Mukherjee said.

Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Siddhartha Pathak received an R3 award for his research project entitled “Advancing In-Space Construction through Cold Welding, SOMD.”

“We are very excited to have four NASA R3 awards given to Iowa. I think it speaks to the high level of research being conducted in the State of Iowa.” – Sara Nelson, Director, Iowa NASA ESPCoR

The 2024 award recipients will spend the next year working with NASA collaborators on their research proposals. For more information on Rapid Response Research opportunities through NASA EPSCoR click here.

NASA EPSCoR Research Award will Assist David D. Lee in CubeSat Navigation

July 1, 2024NewsAlesha Roll

Iowa State University Department of Aerospace Engineering assistant professor, David D. Lee has been awarded a Research Award through NASA EPSCoR with the support of Iowa NASA EPSCoR. Funding through this award will assist Lee in research to improve navigation capabilities for cube satellite (CubeSat) technology in space.

Lee’s grant-supported research project deals with a new navigation technique for CubeSats, which provide an attractive solution for space research by universities and research institutes due to their cost-effectiveness in conducting experimental missions.

Lee explains that expansion of CubeSat use into deep space will require highly accurate position knowledge and precision. However, applying CubeSats to deep-space missions poses challenges in acquiring precise navigation information because they cannot use Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Lee’s research addresses this need. The proposal suggests an approach to obtain non-GPS inertial navigation information by tracking solar system planets through a method called “dual star trackers.”

Star trackers are optical devices that operate like smart cameras to measure the positions of stars or planets using photocells or cameras. Lee’s research proposes the use of cameras for this purpose. By taking pictures and recording the spacecraft’s direction, the tracker can analyze and compare the images to a catalog of star or planet positions to assess a precise location.

“For deep space research purposes and CubeSat extended applications, this could be a cornerstone project for my major research field,” Lee says. “We will collaborate with the NASA Ames Research Center and Johnson Space Center. These collaborations will result in various research projects for spacecraft navigation technology.”

Lee is also the director of Cardinal Space Laboratory, which encourages innovative research and educates students dedicated to the design, development, and operation of space systems.

Read the full story here.