Simpson College joins Iowa Space Grant Consortium

Simpson College students will have access to new funding, resources and professional development opportunities through a partnership with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

The Indianola private university announced this week it has joined the consortium, a NASA-affiliated organization committed to supporting education, research and outreach in STEM and other areas aligned with NASA interests.

“This is incredibly exciting news,” said Aswati Subramanian, Simpson associate professor of biology, in a news release. “Simpson students and faculty across disciplines now have access to funding opportunities for research projects, as well as resources to develop curricula that support the development of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills, with a focus on improving student outcomes.”

Consortium members, both students and faculty, have the chance to apply for different grants, scholarships and fellowships through the consortium, as well as internships at NASA centers and more. Affiliates of the consortium include Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, Des Moines Area Community College, Loras College and Morningside University.

Iowa Space Grant Consortium Director Sara Nelson visited the Simpson campus before the college was made a partner, the release stated, where Subramanian showed her lab areas and spoke about her work on space biology and a project for which she’s mentoring two students. Subramanian said in the release other faculty members and students are already interested in pursuing funds for their own research.

Brennan Voss and Brian Rollison, both set to graduate in 2027, are working with Subramanian and researching how “simulated micro gravity and hyper gravity” impact single-cell organisms. Voss said in the release he never expected to be able to conduct this kind of work at Simpson and he has “enjoyed the problem-solving that comes with stepping outside my comfort zone to explore new areas of science.”

“I had very little research experience before this, so this project is providing great insight,” Rollison said in the release. “Getting accepted into the Iowa NASA Space Grants Consortium is awesome because it not only opens the door for Brennan and me, but also for many students in the future.”