GET STARTED WITH NASA KENTUCKY
NASA Kentucky Space Grant Consortium and NASA EPSCoR Programs support aerospace-related R&D and workforce training in the state.
Faculty & Partners
Projects aligned with NASA are led by KY Faculty along with Industry and STEM Education partners.
Students
KY students engage with educational opportunities in space, aerospace, science, technology, and related fields.
Collaborators
Collaborators connect with KY researchers and educators for aerospace-related R&D and workforce development.
Aerospace Research and Workforce Development
FACULTY & PARTNERS
Faculty at Kentucky universities, colleges and community colleges are eligible to propose to NASA Kentucky opportunities when they are available.
Kentucky businesses and industry may partner with Kentucky institutions and faculty to apply to solicitations.
STEM Education organizations who are affiliates of KYSGC may apply to KYSGC solicitations when they are available.
Eligibility varies based on program. Kentucky Space Grant Consortium (KYSGC) solicitations are limited to KYSGC Affiliate Institutions, whereas Kentucky NASA EPSCoR Program solicitations are open to all Kentucky institutions of Higher Education.
STUDENTS
The NASA Kentucky Space Grant and EPSCoR programs offer unique educational and training opportunities each year to students statewide across Kentucky.
Pre-College Activities
KY students can start with NASA, STEM and aerospace-related activities at an early age through high school by engaging with programming available from our pre-college partners, including Kentucky’s Challenger Centers, the Kentucky Science Center, and KY FIRST Robotics.
College Students
As students enter post-secondary education, KY Space Grant activities are available at universities, colleges and community college and technical schools (KCTCS) across the Commonwealth, including Team Projects, Research Projects, and Internships.
Graduate Students
Students attending graduate school in Kentucky can work directly with NASA research through faculty-directed research projects that provide mentoring and collaboration with some of Kentucky’s most innovative scientists and engineers, through KY Space Grant Graduate Fellowships and NASA KY EPSCoR research projects.
NASA Opportunities
In addition to NASA KY opportunities, students, families and educators may explore the NASA STEM Gateway for NASA opportunities and sign-up for the NASA EXPRESS Newsletter to receive a weekly newsletter of NASA-related educational resources and opportunities.
COLLABORATORS
NASA Kentucky helps form partnerships between Kentucky researchers and educators, NASA personnel and initiatives, and collaborators across industry, education and government in support of increasing aerospace-related R&D activity in the state as well as workforce training capacity.
Potential collaborators may contact the program to learn more about these opportunities.
PROGRAMS
NASA Space Grant Program
The National Space Grant College & Fellowship Program was initiated by Congress in 1987 in response to the need for a coordinated effort to help maintain America’s pre-eminence in aerospace science and technology. The Space Grant national network includes over 1,000 affiliates from universities, colleges, industry, museums, science centers, state and local agencies.
Kentucky Space Grant Consortium (KYSGC) is a diverse group of 18 Kentucky universities, colleges and community colleges, 5 industry affiliates, 4 science centers and 2 STEM educational organizations, partnered with NASA to support Kentucky college students and faculty, as well as pre-college experiences, through funding programs that address the national interests of NASA and state goals of Kentucky.
NASA EPSCoR
The NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) supports partnerships with government, higher education and industry designed to effect lasting improvements in a state’s research infrastructure, research and development (R&D) capacity and its national R&D competitiveness.
Kentucky’s NASA EPSCoR Program is administered by the University of Kentucky as lead institution for the state. The program supports NASA-related research projects and partnerships in Kentucky. Any Kentucky institution of higher learning is eligible to apply for funding. Partners, including industry, non-profit and government agencies, may participate in funded projects in collaboration with Kentucky faculty researchers.
