Kathleen Bostick, a Spelman College student, was honored by one of her biggest inspirations.

Former pageant queen Sarah Adewumi reminds young girls that they can be multifaceted while pursuing STEM careers.

Even in another galaxy, the late Nichelle Nichols’ legacy reigns supreme! Following the passing of the renowned “Star Trek” actress and STEM icon, it has been announced that her remains will be spread beyond just the United States, thanks to Celestis. The Texas-based company provides “memorial spaceflight services” for individuals looking to celebrate the life of their loved one outside of just the Earth realm. According to Space.com, the assignment for Nichols marks the company’s first-ever deep space mission.

The time has come, NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is now the first Black woman to make the trek to the International Space Station for an extended mission. On Wednesday, her journey began when she, alongside fellow astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Samantha Cristoforetti hopped on the SpaceX Dragon to begin their mission to the ISS, NPR reports. The team traveled over 15 hours from the Kennedy Space Center located in Dallas, TX, and will remain on the trip over the course of six months. While she is not the first Black woman to go to space, the trip remains historic as it’s a huge leap into the future of space as it pertains to Black women. “We have reached this milestone, this point in time, and the reason we’re able to arrive at this time is because of the legacy of those who have come before to allow for this moment,” said Watkins when the news was announced and reported by AfroTech in November 2021. “Also, recognizing this is a step in the direction of a very exciting...

Space is for everyone and this artist is here to prove it! Movies can be instrumental in planting seeds that will eventually lead to purpose. This was the case for emerging artist and author Jesse Forte (Jforte), who became fascinated by Buzz Lightyear’s character from “Toy Story.” With a nudge from a fifth-grade teacher, Forte believed he could reach “Infinity and Beyond!” Decades later, the multi-talented creative finally secured his big start in July 2021. After applying to various analog astronaut missions around the world, Jforte became a part of the Lunares Research team in Poland in 2021. Now, Jforte is preparing for his second analog training and hopes to be amongst the stars within the next 18 to 20 months. “Letting the young kids from around the world — especially little Black girls and boys that look like me — see that it’s possible for a brother with melanin dripping from his veins with dreads and gold chains to go to space. I want them to say ‘If he can do it, I can...

To support minority researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Purdue University, the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (0NR), and a coalition of other schools have launched the Blue Integrated Partnerships. A Pew Research study supports data that minorities are underrepresented in STEM citing limited access to quality education, discriminatory hiring and promotion practices — and a lack of support to thrive in the field. Many Black and brown students may be less inclined to complete their studies due to not having equal opportunities like their white counterparts. “We call this a quiet crisis,” said L uciano Castillo , Purdue’s Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering , the program’s principal investigator, according to a press release from Purdue University. “It’s not just a matter of trying to raise numbers. Minority students feel that they don’t have the tools to succeed in science and engineering...

Amoako Boafo has work that is out of this world…literally. CBS News reports that Ghanaian artist, Amoako Boafo, can now celebrate the official launch of his artwork in outer space. That’s right, the artists’ had three paintings that went into orbit on the most recent space mission launched by billionaire Jeff Bezos. After a successful launch into space for the Amazon founder a month ago, Blue Origin officially sent off suborbital spacecraft, New Shepard, on Thursday, Aug. 26. The spacecraft was not only equipped with Boafo’s artwork, but also included NASA lunar landing technology along with 18 additional research payloads.

Out with the old, in with the…better! This Virginia middle school was once named after a Confederate soldier and now its name will be replaced with a Black shero. According to USA Today, Sidney Lanier Middle School was established over 60 years ago and was named after an American poet who also happened to be a private in the Confederate army. Now, it will be renamed to honor NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson. Johnson is known for her contributions to helping NASA put the first man on the moon and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama at age 97 in 2015. In September 2020, the Fairfax city school board made the decision after a majority of residents called to have the name changed. Over 300 new names for the school were submitted and the approval to rename the school was made on Nov. 2, 2020. Other names in the running included Fairfax Woods, Legacy Independence and City, and the late great Maya Angelou....