The funding is part of NASA’s national Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, which will provide up to $870,000 annually to each of 52 institutions across the U.S., including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, over the next four years. Administered through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the program is designed to build a highly skilled workforce equipped to advance NASA’s mission and strengthen the country’s aerospace sector.

“This is our prime award and the foundation of our efforts to develop the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators in Arkansas,” said Dr. Constance Meadors, director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium. “It allows us to fund student internships, student and faculty-led research, and educational outreach across all corners of the state.”

The ASGC supports 18 colleges and universities through a variety of programs, including grants, student internships, and collaborative research projects aligned with NASA’s mission directorates. In 2025 alone, 10 Arkansas students will participate in internships at NASA centers, nine of which were funded by a previous grant.

“Being a NASA intern is an amazing opportunity that has launched my engineering, teamwork, and communication skills in ways I could have never imagined,” said Jack Seabaugh, a ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock senior who is completing his third summer internship at NASA. “My internships at this organization have exposed me to so many incredible learning and professional development opportunities, as well as introducing me to the engineering discipline I now hope to spend my future career in. I never would have acquired this skillset, hands-on experience, and set of interests if it were not for the internship opportunities I’ve had at NASA.”

Initiatives supported by the award include hands-on opportunities in aerospace technologies like high-altitude ballooning, Arkansas CubeSat development, autonomous vehicle competitions, and competitive rocket programs. The consortium also offers student research awards, STEM-based outreach, and its new SOUL (Students Observing and Understanding in the Lab) initiative, which mentors emerging student researchers in NASA-related projects.

“We design programs that capitalize on Arkansas’s strengths while preparing students for high-demand aerospace and technology careers,” Meadors said. “We want to ensure our students have the training, experience, and confidence to lead in space and science-related fields.”

One of the new initiatives supported by this year’s grant is the portable planetarium program. Originally housed at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, portable planetariums will be available at affiliate campuses across the state, including Southern Arkansas University, Henderson State University, the University of Central Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, starting in the 2025-26 academic year.

A traveling portable planetarium grew in popularity leading up to the total solar eclipse in 2024. During the 2024-25 school year, ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock students who were members of the Aerospace Club undertook training that allowed them to take the planetarium out to schools, libraries, and community organizations. The initiative allows broader access to space science education and outreach for schools and communities in every region of Arkansas.

“After the success of the portable planetarium in 2024, this has given us a great way to expand the program,” Meadors said. “The idea is to have portable planetariums all across the state so we can refer schools and community members to our affiliate partner campus with the nearest planetarium. We were able to partner with the Aerospace Club at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, and it’s been a great experience for us and the students. I’ve been fortunate to have students who have been great leaders.”

Additionally, the ASGC is preparing to launch its first NASA ASTRO Camp program in Arkansas this fall. The camp will provide faculty and students with comprehensive materials—from lesson plans to outreach supplies—designed to immerse young learners in space exploration, STEM topics, and authentic NASA experiences.

“We’re excited to continue and expand the work of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium,” Meadors said. “This grant will help us reach more students and communities, and we remain committed to serving every corner of the state.”

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Meadors has taken over for Dr. Keith Hudson, who is still serving the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium in a director emeritus role. Meadors’ new role comes with some historic significance as she is the first African American and first female space grant director for the state of Arkansas as well as the first African American female space grant director in the United States.

“I am only the third director since the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium began in 1991,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. My NASA experience started here at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock conducting hybrid rocket research as a graduate student. Immediately upon entering the program, I was identified as the recipient of a NASA fellowship. That was the first time I became involved in NASA, and it was beyond anything I imagined as a young African American female from a small town. It feels like I have come full circle in coming back to the place where it all started.”

ASGC partners with 17 four-year universities and colleges across Arkansas, dedicated to advancing space science education, research, and public outreach. The ASGC recently partnered with six higher education institutions in Arkansas to provide funding and solar eclipse glasses for free STEM festivals where the public could watch the solar eclipse and learn about STEM activities in Arkansas. ASGC employees spent April 8 at Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, where NASA scientists, partnering researchers, and citizen scientists spent the day conducting research experiments for the total solar eclipse.

“This was ground zero for NASA research in Arkansas,” Meadors said. “We had research teams launching balloons, and we completed several workshops, including one workshop where we taught citizen scientists how to use their phones to collect data during the eclipse. We had scientists join us from Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and North and South Carolina.”

Meadors joined ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock in 2023 as the associate director of ASGC, and she brings a diverse wealth of space research and NASA experience. In the Office of STEM Engagement, she served as the first Minority Serving Institution (MSI) STEM Engagement Liaison-Faculty Fellow for NASA Intergovernmental Personnel Assignees (IPA). The NASA EPSCoR advisory council was established and led by her.

She played a key role in developing the inaugural solicitation for the Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)/Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Minority University Research Education Program (MUREP), known as the Diversity Equity Accessibility Priority for Research and Education (DEAP). She created the MUREP Kennedy Space Center Courageous Conversations Series and hosted NASA’s first Juneteenth Celebration in 2021.

Her academic experiences include K-12, community college, private, and public institutions. She has served as associate dean of arts and sciences, dean of applied science technology, chair of electronics, director of electronics engineering technology, and held many STEM teaching positions.

Meadors earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Grambling State University as well as a Master of Science in Applied Science with a focus on instrumentation and a Ph.D. in Applied Science Engineering Science and Systems from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock. She holds the distinction of being the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Systems from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock and the first African American and female to teach mechanical engineering at Harding University.

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With the solar eclipse’s path of totality covering 53 counties in Arkansas, Dr. Constance Meadors, interim director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC), said the organization is doing everything possible to provide Arkansans with diverse viewing opportunities, educational and family activities, and free solar eclipse glasses to enjoy the day.

ASGC partners with 17 four-year universities and colleges across Arkansas, dedicated to advancing space science education, research, and public outreach. The ASGC is partnering with colleges and universities across the state, including ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, who will be holding public events for the community to enjoy the solar eclipse.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we will be able to tell our grandchildren about, and it’s one of the greatest things that NASA will be involved in that people will get to see and experience,” Meadors said.

To help with the solar eclipse celebrations, ASGC provided grants of approximately $50,000 and donated around 30,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses to six higher education institutions in Arkansas so that everyone will have a chance to experience the solar eclipse safely. Additionally, ASGC provided the Arkansas STEM Coalition with about 160,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses to share with the public.

“I just want everyone within the state of Arkansas to find a place to join and participate in the solar eclipse,” Meadors said. “Don’t let the lack of glasses stop you. If they get to any of these locations, they should have access to free solar eclipse glasses.”

Some of the other solar eclipse activities that ASGC is participating in includes:

• Sharing a tactile Braille book, “Getting a Feel for the Eclipse,” with Arkansans. The book provides people who are blind and visually impaired with a means to experience the total solar eclipse through their fingertips.
• Training seven college students as NASA Partnered Eclipse Ambassadors who are conducting educational activities related to the solar eclipse throughout Arkansas.
• Partnering with ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝MS Pathways Academy to complete eclipse safety and education activities with Arkansas students.

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The next Woman to Watch at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock of 2024 is Dr. Constance Meadors, interim director of the .

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I am a native of Winnfield, Louisiana, where I grew up tinkering and participating in science fairs. This sparked my interest and passion in STEM. I obtained a B.S. in physics from Grambling State University. While at Grambling, I became involved in undergraduate research and loved it. This solidified my interest in STEM and my quest for future STEM degrees. I received a NASA fellowship and a master’s and doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock). This is where I was introduced to NASA research and conducted hybrid rocket and micro device research at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock. Consequently, becoming the proverbial “rocket scientist.”

I became obsessed and fell in love with all things NASA. My passion for STEM has led me to challenge minorities’ perception in STEM. When I speak of minorities, I don’t just mean me as an African American female, a double minority. I mean all minorities which includes socioeconomic and geographical demographics as well. The latter often coexists with limiting factors to obtaining STEM careers. I’ve at times been frustrated and questioned my place in this environment. I wrote a poem, “Am I the Exception or Am I the Rule?” I presented this poem at a NASA conference. It was well received and served as encouragement and motivation for myself and other marginalized persons with STEM dreams. Subsequently, I was motivated to start the #ChangetheRule Campaign. I have worked tirelessly to change the rules and standards that define how minorities are viewed in STEM while also working to move the STEM needle forward.

My STEM passion has taken me to many milestones – intentionally and consequential. I was the first in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree. I was the first African American to graduate from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock with degrees in applied science, instrumentation, and systems engineering. I was the first female to teach mechanical engineering at Harding University. I was the first to serve on an Intergovernmental Personnel Assignment in NASA’s OSTEM MUREP pilot program. Now, I am the first female and African American space grant director not only in Arkansas, but in the country.

What is your current position and professional duties at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock?

I am the director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and NASA EPSCoR Programs. I oversee and direct the operations and budget for the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, which is composed of 17 colleges and universities in Arkansas that are affiliate campuses.

What brought you to ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock?

My reason for being at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock is threefold. After being an instructor, a director, and a dean at many diverse institutions, this is an opportunity to return “home.” This is an opportunity to serve as a statewide motivator for STEM education and careers in the Natural State while changing the rules and perceptions that are preventing STEM education and careers. It is an honor and privilege, with NASA being the premier science agency in the world, to lead the largest NASA-funded entity in the state of Arkansas. We will be able to continue to improve the state’s STEM score by impacting and improving efforts both in K-12 and higher education.

What are some of the exciting projects that you are working on at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock?

I just hosted the USDA Path to Prosperity meeting in January that included over 300 participants and six federal/state agencies. I am currently coordinating NASA Solar Eclipse efforts for Arkansas. Also, we are launching a planetarium program to have an inflatable planetarium in every region of the state. I am establishing partnerships and collaborations within and outside the state. I plan to unveil a few upcoming citizen science projects this summer.

What woman has inspired you the most and why? 

I have a picture of a scared, unsure little girl, me, hiding behind my grandmother. I was born to a teenage mother and spent my early years at my grandmother’s home. Though she had very little education, she did everything with pride and respect. She would wake up every morning and open her curtains to let in the sunlight and face the day with intentionality and determination. Unknowingly, I soaked up these traits like a sponge.

My mother, though she began her adult life with a tremendous challenge, worked tirelessly to improve her circumstances. She cleaned houses and offices and eventually worked in a saw mill, sometimes all night, providing for me. Simultaneously, she pushed me to do well in school and began taking various classes herself. When I started college, my mother started as well. I graduated before her, but she eventually became a special education teacher, retiring last year. So, I would have to say my grandmother and mother were my most inspiring influences.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?

No one or no rule defines you and your success. Don’t let the world tell you what you can or can’t achieve. You too are here to change the rules. Sometimes your place in history is to follow the rules, address the rules, and sometimes change the rules. It is your job to know your role and make a difference.

Name something about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn.

Most people would probably be surprised to know that I repeated first grade, because I wasn’t reading at the required level. This is a demonstration of how your past does not dictate your future.

What is your favorite quote and why?

“No weapons formed against you shall prosper.” In this world we are challenged daily by obstacles seen and unseen, but we must know that if we stay on the course we can and will achieve our destiny.

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In her new role, Meadors is responsible for overseeing the planning of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium partnering with numerous state agencies and programs during the 2024 Solar Eclipse that will put most of central Arkansas in the path of totality. Additionally, she will organize the Outreach Program, work with NASA to align ASGC and NASA EPSCoR programs, and will serve as the liaison to NASA.

“It is an honor to return to the place where my NASA experience and rocket science research started,” Meadors stated. “In my new position as associate director, I plan to utilize my experience and passion to capitalize on the state’s homegrown talent and aerospace industry to move the entire state into the new space economy.”

Meadors brings a diverse portfolio of space research and NASA experience, including a NASA graduate fellow. She served as the first NASA Intergovernmental Personnel Assignee (IPA) – Minority Serving Institution (MSI) STEM Engagement Liaison-Faculty Fellow at Kennedy Space Center in the STEM Engagement office. She established and led the NASA EPSCoR advisory council.

She was part of the team to develop the first Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)/Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Minority University Research Education Program (MUREP) solicitation, Diversity Equity Accessibility Priority for Research and Education (DEAP). She created MUREP Kennedy Space Center Courageous Conversations.

She hosted the first NASA Juneteenth Celebration, one day before it became a national holiday. Meadors’ research includes hybrid rockets, combustion, micro-thrusters and biomedical engineering, making her a literal “rocket scientist.”

Her academic experiences include K-12, community college, private and public institutions. She has served as associate dean of arts and sciences, dean of applied science technology, chair of electronics, director of electronics engineering technology and held many STEM teaching positions.

Meadors earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Grambling State University as well as a Master of Science in Applied Science with a focus on instrumentation and a Ph.D. in Applied Science Engineering Science and Systems from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock.

She holds the distinction of being the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Systems from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock and the first African American and female to teach mechanical engineering at Harding University.

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Meadors recently joined the ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock campus as associate director of the . Back in 2021, she worked at NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement in the Minority University Research Education Project (MUREP) at Kennedy Space Center.

She created the MUREP Kennedy Space Center Courageous Conversations Series. The goals of the series are to establish an ongoing dialogue with HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to raise awareness of NASA opportunities with HBCUs and engage HBCUs in NASA activities.

The first Courageous Conversations event took place as a Juneteenth celebration on June 16, 2021. The event celebrated African American heritage and the relationship of African American HBCUs with NASA through a discussion of personal or institutional NASA connections.

June 19, also known as Emancipation Day, is annually celebrated as Juneteenth, the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the country. The holiday originates from June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved people in the country were freed in Galveston, Texas, at the end of the Civil War.

“I wanted to do the Juneteenth event because I wanted to do something that was unique to HBCUs and the African American community,” Meadors said. “We think of NASA as sending rockets to space, but we don’t often realize the amount of research that goes into that process and how many HBCUs have been involved with NASA.”

Meadors moderated a panel discussion with Laura Hildreth of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Dr. Teresa Bailey of Prairie View A&M University; Knox Tull Jr. of Jack and Tull Engineering; Dr. Willie Rockward of Morgan State University; Dr. Danielle Williams of Grambling State University; Dr. Richard Gragg of Florida A&M University; and Priscilla Moore of NASA Days.

Meadors was shocked and delighted when President Joe Biden made an announcement declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, just a day after she held NASA’s first Juneteenth event.

“Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed as I had no idea that was going to happen,” she said. “It’s like I made history just before history happened. When the president makes any announcement like that, the director of NASA sends out an email saying how it impacts NASA. I made sure that I kept that announcement.”

In 2022, Meadors celebrated Juneteenth with another that celebrated the contributions of NASA employees who graduated from HBCUs in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

At the time, Meadors had established a pilot HBCU advisory board with representatives from those four states. In addition to highlighting HBCU alums working at NASA, the event was a way to motivate and encourage HBCU graduates to pursue careers at NASA, highlight historical contributions of HBCUs to NASA, and identify and overcome barriers to NASA employment and university research opportunities.

One of the people honored from Arkansas was the late Dorothy McFadden Hoover, a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas who was a pioneer in the field of aeronautical mathematics and research. Her story appeared in the highly acclaimed 2016 book, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” by Margot Lee Shetterly.

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