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NASA has opened the call for the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, inviting U.S. undergraduate and graduate teams to design bold new technologies for exploring the Moon and Mars. From lunar power systems to Mars communications networks, selected finalists will present their concepts at NASA’s 2026 forum in Florida, with cash prizes and opportunities to showcase their work at aerospace conferences.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a Broad Agency Announcement under the CHIPS for America program, seeking proposals to accelerate U.S. leadership in microelectronics. Priorities include advancing semiconductors, applying AI, quantum, and biotech to chip R&D, and driving rapid commercialization. With rolling submissions, this funding opportunity aims to keep the U.S. at the forefront of next-generation technology.

Upcoming Opportunities

🌌 Design the Future of Lunar and Martian Exploration with NASA RASC-AL

NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace invite U.S. undergraduate and graduate teams to join the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition. Students will propose bold systems and technologies that expand humanity’s ability to explore, operate, and thrive on the Moon and Mars.

📅 Program Details:

• Notice of Intent Due: Oct 13, 2025 (non-binding)

• Q&A with NASA Experts: Oct 27, 2025

• Proposal & Video Due: Feb 23, 2026

• Final Forum: June 1, 2026, Cocoa Beach, FL

• Awards: Finalist teams receive $7,000; top two winners earn an additional $7,000 + aerospace conference presentation opportunity

• Link: [Apply here]

✅ Eligibility

• Open to U.S.-based undergraduate and graduate students with faculty advisors

• Teams must address one of four 2026 themes (check the link)

⚠️ Bonus Opportunities You Should Know

• 🧪 NSF REU Summer Research Programs: List of funded undergrad research programs. (Search here)

• 🎓 Pathways to Science: List of paid internships and research opportunities for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. (Search here)

• 💰 NASA OSTEM Internships: List of NASA Internships for high school and undergraduate STEM students (More info).

• 🧠 NASA Pathways Internship: Multi-semester internship involving different career paths at NASA (Link).

🌍 International Opportunities

• 🧲 Pathways to Science: List of upcoming internships, scholarships, and research programs hosted by the U.S. [open to international students]. (Search here)

• 🔬 Amgen Scholars Program: Prestigious summer research program for undergraduate students in the U.S., Europe, or Asia. (More info)

• ⚛️ European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): Search for any upcoming internships related to chemistry, physics, engineering, or data science! (Link here)

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Scientist’s Scroll

⚡ NIST Calls for Proposals to Advance U.S. Microelectronics

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a broad agency announcement under the CHIPS for America program, inviting proposals to accelerate U.S. leadership in microelectronics. The effort seeks cutting-edge research, prototyping, and commercialization strategies that strengthen semiconductor innovation and workforce development.

Priority areas include advanced semiconductor technologies, AI- and quantum-driven microelectronics research, biomanufacturing applications, commercialization of innovations, and standards development. Proposals are open to U.S. companies, nonprofits, universities, FFRDCs, and federal entities, with applicants required to submit white papers for consideration.

An informational webinar will be held in the coming weeks to provide guidance on preparing proposals and navigating the application process.

🔗 Read the full article here —>

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Tip of the Day

🎓 Grad School or Med School: Choosing Your Path

Deciding between graduate school and medical school is one of the biggest crossroads in a STEM career. Here’s how to weigh your options wisely:

• Clarify Your Goals: Do you want to advance knowledge through research, or practice medicine and directly treat patients?

• Assess Lifestyle Fit: Grad school offers flexibility but uncertain job markets; med school is structured but long, with a clear career path.

• Consider Commitment: A PhD may take 5–7 years, while MD training (school + residency) can stretch over a decade.

• Think About Impact: Both paths improve lives, but in different ways—one through discovery, the other through care.

• Follow Your Motivation: Choose the path that excites you daily; passion will sustain you through the challenges ahead.

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Today’s Theme: Throwback Thursday

⚡ Thomson’s Cathode Rays: The Birth of the Electron

In 1897, British physicist J.J. Thomson unraveled one of science’s greatest mysteries—the true nature of cathode rays. Using clever variations of vacuum tube experiments, Thomson showed that these glowing beams were not waves, but tiny negatively charged particles.

By bending the rays with electric and magnetic fields, he calculated their mass-to-charge ratio and discovered they were over a thousand times lighter than a hydrogen atom. He called them “corpuscles,” but the world would soon know them as electrons—fundamental building blocks of matter.

Though his third hypothesis—that electrons were the only constituents of atoms—was later disproven, Thomson’s discovery marked the dawn of subatomic physics. His work not only earned him the title “father of the electron” but also paved the way for quantum theory, nuclear physics, and nearly every modern technology built on electronics.

🔗 Read the full article here —>

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