Morehead State University has received nearly $4 million in federal funding to expand its SpaceTrek initiative, a program designed to address workforce deficits in the aerospace industry and encourage greater participation by women in the field.
The grant, awarded through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) program, will allow SpaceTrek to extend its reach beyond Kentucky. The initiative will now include the West Virginia Small Satellite Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, broadening its impact across the Appalachian region.
Established in 2011 as a collaboration between the American Association of University Women and Morehead State’s Space Science Center, SpaceTrek has served as an entry point for young women into aerospace studies. The program’s expansion will also include SpacePrep, a one-day workshop designed to introduce high school girls to aerospace exploration and serve as a recruitment pipeline for SpaceTrek’s immersive summer program.
“Since its inception, SpaceTrek has had a tremendous impact on our space systems engineering program at Morehead State,” said Dr. Ben Malphrus, executive director of the university’s Space Science Center. “Women are significantly underrepresented in all branches of engineering, and aerospace is no exception. Our female enrollment has exceeded 38%, directly attributed to SpaceTrek. The program changes lives and career trajectories, with the potential to significantly improve female participation in the aerospace industry in Appalachia.”
These programs introduce pre-college students to higher education opportunities and careers in aerospace while providing an immersive experience in aerospace subdisciplines like electronics, telecommunications, data analysis, and other elements of space missions.
“The benefit of SpaceTrek is that it helps develop within the girl the confidence to pursue these degree programs, the resilience to complete them, and the motivation to successful transition into a high-tech workforce such as aerospace engineering,” said Jennifer Carter, director of Morehead State’s Center for STEM+eXcellence. “The benefit to the region is a population of young, trained professionals who can fulfill the economic demand of a high-tech workforce.”
The Center for STEM+eXcellence, in collaboration with the Space Science Center, partnered with West Virginia University’s Small Satellite Center to create a multi-state initiative proposal to expand SpaceTrek to other areas in Appalachia. The SpaceTrek program fits the ARISE grant initiative’s criteria since the Appalachian Regional Commission has “Building Workforce Ecosystems” as one of its five strategic investment priorities.
The approximately $4 million will help implement the SpaceTrek and SpacePrep programs in Kentucky and West Virginia, impacting roughly 3,000 girls by providing them with hands-on college and career-related experiences in aerospace engineering. The SpaceTrek and SpacePrep programs are aligned with Morehead State and West Virginia University’s aerospace degree programs and overall aerospace industry needs.
“The expansion of Morehead State University’s renowned SpaceTrek program to West Virginia will have a transformative impact on STEM-related education and career opportunities in the state. By introducing high school students to aerospace engineering through immersive experiences like building and launching satellites, the program will inspire a new generation of students to pursue careers in STEM,” said John Dahlia, director of communications for TMC technologies in Fairmont, West Virginia. “Ultimately, the SpaceTrek program will be crucial in fostering innovation and economic growth in West Virginia and the Appalachian Region.”
Learn about SpaceTrek by contacting the Center for STEM+eXcellence at stemxcenter@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2300 or visiting moreheadstate.edu/spacetrek.