Columbus State University secures $300K NASA grant; funding undergraduate research opportunities

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center is getting a major boost from NASA to help students explore the universe.

The center was awarded a $300,000 NASA grant to expand undergraduate research at its WestRock Observatory. Over the next two years, the funding will pay for significant equipment upgrades and give students hands-on roles in two high-level astronomy projects: monitoring black holes and tracking potentially hazardous asteroids.

One of those projects, led by CSU alumnus and University of Chicago researcher Dr. John Hood, will study blazars supermassive black holes that shoot out jets of energy. Hood, a graduate of Carver High School, will return to Columbus to work alongside current students.

Dr. Hood is one of many notable CSU alumni, and faculty say the grant funding will serve to grow that list. “Seven of our former students who trained here are now working at the Marshall Space Flight Center and various aspects of space exploration. We have people who are researchers running observatories all around America.” Said executive director of the Coca Cola Space Science Center, Dr. Shawn Cruzen, “We see now with our expanded capabilities, we’re going to give our students even better opportunities to broaden their research abilities to go out and get fantastic jobs in space and space exploration, which is one of the world’s fastest growing industries.”

The asteroid research, directed by Professor Andrew Puckett, will contribute to planetary defense by helping refine orbital models of near-Earth objects. Students whose work leads to new asteroid orbit determinations will be recognized as co-authors in official scientific publications.

Along with research funding, the grant covers a new telescope mount, upgraded camera systems, dome repairs, and software development to improve data collection. It will also support student internships during the school year and summer.

The observatory’s future capabilities will extend beyond the two main projects, with plans for satellite tracking, variable star monitoring, and even exoplanet detection, giving CSU students opportunities to participate in advanced space science for years to come.

The upgrades are expected to be complete by spring and will move with the telescope when the Coca-Cola Space Science Center relocates to Columbus State’s main campus in the coming years.