Concord University offers prestigious scholarship for students pursuing education in science
According to a press release, the four-year scholarships for up to $60,000, equating to $15,000 per year, will be awarded to students seeking certain science degrees. Students receiving the scholarships will also get a computer and career-focused enrichment activities to bolster their academic and social growth through graduation. This is made possible through a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to Concord University.
WVSOM gears up for their third annual C.A.S.E. camp
CU is looking for interested students to seek Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry, computer science, computer information systems, and environmental geosciences at the institution.
The school's Science Engagement and Active Mentoring Program (SEAM) is focused on building fellowship among students and contributing to the national need for educated scientists and technicians by supporting high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need. The project is projected to last through 2030.
The SEAM program is will enhance students' STEM and professional identity and development through cohort building, career and entrepreneurial focused trips, mentoring by student peers and faculty members, and different workshops, the release stated. As a special feature, SEAM cohorts will have the chance to be involved in outreach and research at Concord's Materials and Rare Earth Element Analysis Center, as well as Virginia Tech's NSF-funded NanoEarth laboratory. The program aims to grow the STEM workforce within the region.
Hinton Area Foundation offers two new scholarships for 2025
CU is recruiting high school seniors for the incoming SEAM cohort. New first-time freshman, transfer students, and in-state and out-of-state residents are eligible to participate. Students that qualify for the program must be PELL grant eligible. The scholarships offered through SEAM cover tuition, room, and board.
For more information regarding the program, visit their website, or contact Dr. Joe Allen, Concord University Distinguished Professor of Geology/Chair, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at 304-384-5238 or by email.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Scientific American
36 minutes ago
- Scientific American
New Interstellar Object Stuns Scientists as It Zooms through Solar System
Late in the evening on July 1, a telescope in Chile that is part of the global, NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) picked up on a new moving dot in the sky, an object moving past the orbit of Jupiter. When Larry Denneau, software engineer at ATLAS, alerted the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center to the observation, 'it looked like a completely routine discovery.' That would soon change. To his surprise, the object—provisionally named A11pI3Z—turned out to be the third interstellar visitor known to science. Now, mere days after its discovery, frenzied follow-up work by astronomers around the world to further scrutinize A11pI3Z and look for additional apparitions in archival observations has given the object a new, more official name: Comet 3I/Atlas, for the telescope that first discovered it. What seems to have been the clinching evidence for its interstellar nature emerged from the efforts of a group of amateur astronomers, called the Deep Random Survey, who were first to track the object down in images other ATLAS telescopes had captured in late June. 'We had quite a bit of confusion from the get-go,' says Sam Deen, a member of the group. 'Our systems are usually tuned to expect that a new discovery is an object firmly stuck inside the solar system,' but Atlas was playing outside of those rules. The earlier observations—which soon also included 'pre-discovery' sightings from the Zwicky Transient Facility at Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California as well as other telescopes—allowed a more precise calculation of the object's trajectory. Whatever it was, the object was zooming down toward the inner solar system at almost 70 kilometers per second. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. That's 'far faster than any solar system object should be able to move,' Deen notes, because such speeds ensure objects will slip through the sun's gravitational grasp. Anything moving so quickly simply can't hang around long; rather than following a typical parabolic orbit, 3I/Atlas's blistering speed is carving out a hyperbolic orbit, a path that takes the object swooping through the inner solar system before soaring back out into the interstellar void. It most likely came from the outskirts of some other planetary system, ejected from its tenuous twirling around some alien sun by gravitational interactions with a giant planet or another passing star. Exactly where it came from and when it began its galactic journey, however, no one can say. There is no threat to Earth, as during its brief sojourn in the solar system 3I/Atlas is projected to come no nearer than about 240 million kilometers to our planet. The object will make its closest approach to the sun on October 30, reaching a distance of about 210 million kilometers, just within the orbit of Mars. As it approaches in coming months, astronomers will intensify their studies, hoping to learn more about this mysterious visitor. What's already relatively clear, however, is 3I/Atlas's cometary nature; more than 100 observations have now trickled in from telescopes around the globe, including some that show hints the object is enveloped in a cloud of gas and dust and trailing a tail of debris as ices on its surface warm in the sun's radiance. Astronomers normally use a distant object's brightness as a proxy for its size, with brighter objects tending to be bigger as well. 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Those strange features led some researchers to propose an idea— now convincingly debunked —that 'Oumuamua was a derelict alien spacecraft adrift in the Milky Way. Then in 2019 came the second observed interstellar object, 2I/Borisov, which bore all the hallmarks of a run-of-the-mill comet and thus inspired few if any outlandish claims of alien involvement. '[ATLAS] will be a tiebreaker of sorts,' says Mario Juric, an astronomer at the University of Washington and discovery software lead at the recently completed Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. '[Will it] give us a sense 'Oumuamua was the odd one out, or is the universe a lot more interesting than we imagined?' Rubin— a unique telescope with a panoramic view that will survey the entire overhead sky every few days—is seen as especially critical for solving the lingering mysteries of these first emissaries from interstellar space. As the observatory's survey progresses in months and years to come, it should uncover many more visitors from the great beyond, allowing astronomers to begin studying them as a population rather than scattered, isolated one-offs. Ultimately, if Rubin or another facility manages to spot an interstellar object fortuitously poised to pass relatively close to Earth, astronomers might even be able to gain an extremely close-up view via a spacecraft rendezvous. The European Space Agency (ESA) already has such a mission in the works, in fact—Comet Interceptor, a sentinel spacecraft set to launch as early as 2029 to await some inbound destination. 'There is a small chance that Comet Interceptor might be able to visit an interstellar object if one is found on the right trajectory, and the new Vera C. Rubin observatory should give us an increased rate of discovery of these objects,' says Colin Snodgrass, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh who is part of the ESA mission. All of which has astronomers on the edges of their seats, eager to dive deeper into a new frontier in our cosmic understanding. 'This is probably the most excited I've been about any astronomical discovery in years,' Deen says.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
NASA Detects Visitor From Outside Solar System
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Scientists have just discovered a rare interstellar object hurtling through the solar system, and it's expected to make its closest approach to Earth on October 30. Officially named 3I/ATLAS, the comet was first observed on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, one of the best places in the world for stargazing. Approaching from the constellation of Sagittarius, 3I/ATLAS is currently located about 420 million miles away—and does not pose a threat to our planet. On its current trajectory, it will only come within 150 million miles of us at the most. Pre-discovery observations of the comet date back to June 14, with numerous telescopes around the world reporting additional sightings since. Its size and physical properties are currently being investigated by astronomers across the globe. This diagram shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. It will make its closest approach to the Sun in October. This diagram shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. It will make its closest approach to the Sun in October. NASA/JPL-Caltech Only two other interstellar objects have ever been identified by scientists. 2I/Borisov, reported in 2019, and 'Oumuamua, in 2017, which briefly tricked some astronomers into believing it was an alien probe, before the theory was debunked. Currently about 416 million miles form the sun, 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to a planet in October, coming within 37 million miles of Mars. The comet should remain visible to ground-based telescopes all through September, according to NASA, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe. It will then reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December. Scientists are able to determine when a celestial object has interstellar origins based on its trajectory, which is tracked by measuring its changing position in the sky while taking into account all the known forces acting on it, including gravity of the Sun and the planets. Objects that come from inside our solar system tend to move along a closed elliptical orbit, while interstellar objects follow a hyperbolic orbit, and move fast enough to be able to escape gravity. While only three interstellar objects have ever been identified, a study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2021, suggests that celestial bodies from out of our solar system may actually be more common than previously thought —outnumbering "domestic" material in the Oort cloud which surrounds the solar system. Do you have a science story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about interstellar objects? Let us know via science@ Reference Siraj, A., & Loeb, A. (2021). Interstellar objects outnumber Solar system objects in the Oort cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 507(1), L16–L18.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CU receives $2.5 million investment to explore space governance
DENVER (KDVR) — Less than a century ago, the idea of ascending to space above the Earth seemed like only a dream. With the successful launch of Sputnik 1 into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957, and the subsequent Space Race that followed, humanity's dream became a reality, and a new frontier was explored. Postal carrier explains why you may see a dryer sheet in your mailbox Fast forward 67 years, and people are in space all the time, even Katy Perry has been there. With an increased network of spacecraft, satellites, stations and more, structure is needed in some capacity in the cosmos. Students at the University of Colorado Boulder have the opportunity to be the next generation to formulate that space infrastructure. The university was recently granted a $2.5 million gift from long-time donors Dale and Patricia Hatfield, according to a press release from CU. The funding will be used to establish the Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Space Policy and Law. The school said that the new professorship will drive teaching and research on space policy and law, with broad implications for national security, global communications, navigation, weather forecasting and international collaboration. 'As humanity ventures beyond our planet, space law and policy have emerged as a new frontier, offering vast opportunities to shape the future of space exploration and utilization,' said donor Dale Hatfield. 'The realm of space beckons a new generation to establish the legal and policy frame that will govern our cosmic endeavors.' The multi-faceted position will work in different capacities every two years, alternating between the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the Leeds School of Business and the Silicon Flatirons Center at Colorado Law. This allows the students to learn about the future of space governance from a variety of perspectives. North America's second-oldest nudist resort is turning 90 — and it's here in Colorado The position will start with Professor Marcus J. Holzinger of aerospace engineering sciences as the inaugural Hatfield Endowed Professor. The university said that he brings expertise in space policy, domain awareness, development and strategy. Helzinger plans to focus on policy research, combining astrodynamics and geopolitics to build a future in space-based democratic norms. For more information on the Hatfield Endowed Professorship, visit the CU Office of Advancement website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
