What’s Happening Today!

Welcome to a new & exciting daily post from That Black Chemist! Today we’re focusing on a multi-semester internship opportunity at NASA that allows you to pick your own career path in the organization immediately upon graduation.

Moving out of space back to the Earth, a PhD student at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has figured out a way to combine machine learning tools and satellite imaging to map the location and quality of crops spanning thousands of square kilometers.

And if you love memes, you’ll want to stay to the end!

Upcoming Opportunities

🚀 NASA Prepares the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers

Applications for NASA’s Pathways Internship Program will open in Fall 2025 for the Spring 2026 cohort. This multi-semester internship offers students a chance to gain real-world experience while building a long-term career at NASA.

Interns can explore a wide range of career tracks, including engineering, IT, math & statistics, and physical sciences, with the flexibility to choose the path that fits them best.

This is a golden opportunity to start your journey with one of the most prestigious space organizations in the world.

📅 Application Opens

• August-September 2025 (Apply here).

✅ Eligibility

• Must be at least 16 years old by the start of the internship.

• Must be currently enrolled in high school or as a college undergraduate student.

• Must have a minimum 2.9 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)

💰 Funding & Tuition

• Compensation details not listed—check the official Pathways posting for updates.

⚠️ Bonus Opportunities You Should Know

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

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

• 🪖 Department of Defense (DoD) SMART Scholarship: $30,000-$46,000 scholarship awarded to top STEM students (Link).

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Scientist’s Scroll

🌽 Smart Farming Meets Machine Learning

Yi-Chia Chang, a PhD student at the University of Illinois, is leading ground-breaking research in crop mapping using satellite imagery and machine learning.

His team’s models help identify where and what crops are growing to improve food security and farming practices globally.

By training AI on real Earth observation data, Chang’s work highlights how tech can overcome geographic issues and boost agricultural sustainability—even in regions with limited data.

🔗 Read the full article here —>

Tip of the Day

💰 Don’t Choose a Major Just for the Money

Choosing your major based solely on future salary might seem like a smart financial move, but if you’re not genuinely interested in the subject, it’s a recipe for burnout, poor grades, and regret. Here’s why passion matters more than paycheck:

• You’ll Lose Motivation Quickly: Classes will be miserable if you don’t enjoy the material, especially in tough majors like engineering or pre-med.

• Low Grades = Fewer Opportunities: Lack of interest often leads to poor performance, which hurts your chances at internships, scholarships, or grad school.

• Money Can’t Buy Fulfillment: A high-paying job isn’t worth it if you dread going to work every day.

• Career Paths Evolve: Many high-paying jobs require years of training or specialization—if you don’t love the field, it’s hard to stick with it long term.

• You Can Make Money in Any Field: Success and financial stability often come from mastery and creativity, not just the major you choose.

Today’s Theme: Meme Monday

Because Mondays suck, here are three science memes to make you laugh!

👇🏾 Vote for your favorite in the comments or share with a lab mate!

🧪 Meme #1

🔬 Meme #2

🥼 Meme #3

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🤔 Got a meme or tip to share? Reply and I might feature it!

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